Mr. Speaker, at different times Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II said, “People are touched by events which have their roots far across the world”, and “Grief is the price we pay for love.” Of all the words of wisdom she shared in public addresses before and during her historic reign, those two sentiments have manifested most in the global outpouring of sorrow and affection in response to her passing.

Even though she lived to an extraordinary and enviable old age, it seems to be a common experience that many of us felt caught by surprise at her death, because she was lively and worked to the end. It was for most Canadians, I think, that Queen Elizabeth, the only monarch many of us have ever known but who most Canadians never got to meet personally, was simultaneously distant in place, time and station while also omnipresent in daily life and culture.

There may come a day for debate about institutions and constitutions, about succession, secession and sovereignty, about imperialism, colonialism and republicanism, about the past and about the future, and as someone of English, Irish and Ojibwa descent, I am keenly aware that there are many different perspectives on the monarchy and on history among Canadians and throughout the world. However, today, on behalf of the people of Lakeland, I extend sincere condolences to the Queen's family and to all grieving people across the Commonwealth, particularly in the U.K. I hope there is comfort and peace in the countless tributes and memories of the Queen from around the world, a remarkable display of love from people she pledged her life to serve.

Recently, I remembered that, as a kid at the supper table, my dad used to say that I had to learn manners in case I had tea and sandwiches with Queen Elizabeth one day. It occurred to me over the past week that I took that as a very serious possibility at the time, sort of like the hazards of quicksand, which, of course, is ridiculous and a little embarrassing in hindsight, but then a couple of days ago, my Aunt Keltie reminded us on Facebook that we do have a tiny family connection to Queen Elizabeth.

As has been mentioned many times, the Queen visited Canada more than any other country outside of the U.K. throughout her unprecedented time as monarch. On one of those visits, to Nova Scotia in 1976, my grandmother Eileen Stubbs, or MissyNan as she insisted from us grandkids, was the first woman mayor of Dartmouth. Along with my navy veteran grandfather, or Poppy, she welcomed and spent some time with Her Majesty and Prince Philip, who were there to lay a wreath at the cenotaph in Halifax's Grand Parade to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Aunt Keltie told me last night that our cousin Jennifer, who passed away two years ago, was about four at the time. Jennifer presented the Queen with flowers, and took that responsibility deadly seriously, putting in a lot of practice to get it right.

The flood of anecdotes about the Queen's grace, curiosity, humility, wit, composure under pressure and particularly her joyful and focused attention towards children, towards veterans and members of the armed forces, towards people with disabilities or who had health struggles, and towards horses and dogs were also part of our family's stories. I guess that is why I thought I had better keep my elbows off the table and be ready.

My grandmother loved the monarchy. Aunt Keltie posits her passion might have been mainly because the sovereign was a queen specifically, and she identified with the reality of being the only woman in a certain position.

I was born and raised in Alberta, but as I have spoken about many times, the affinity and relations between Atlantic Canadians and Albertans are very strong. The values of our own family's powerful matriarch, all the way from Nova Scotia, punctuated my childhood, my developing world view and my interest in the possibilities of politics until she died. Duty, service and faith were important to her, and I am mindful of the Queen's words at the Church of England's general synod in 2010, when the Queen said:

For at the heart of our faith stand not a preoccupation with our own welfare and comfort but the concepts of service and of sacrifice as shown in the life and teachings of the one who made himself nothing, taking the very form of a servant.

I think the Queen's obvious and heartfelt devotion to service, and her prioritization of her duty as the Crown above all else, is really at the heart of the worldwide wave of grief and love in the wake of her loss. The concepts of service and of being concerned with the welfare and comfort of others are what I try to keep front of mind at all times as I aim to do my small part and earn my keep for all the people of Lakeland.

Lakeland is a place that Queen Elizabeth visited in 1978. She and Prince Philip were greeted in Vegreville by thousands at Pysanka Park. There were Ukrainian dancers in front of the largest Ukrainian easter egg in the world outside of Ukraine. A plaque now commemorates her visit. The then mayor of Vegreville speaks the minds of thousands of Canadians when he said, “It was a day I will never forget.”

The Queen received a teddy bear and signed the town guest book in Bruderheim and visited an elementary school and community landmark in St. Paul. She took the train from Vegreville to Fort Saskatchewan and along the way met well wishers at stops at Mundare, Lamont and the small village of Chipman near where I grew up.

On visits to Atlantic Canada as an MP during the last seven years, it has struck me that traditions, history, customs, the monarchy and specifically toasts to the Queen at regular events are much more prominent and widespread in the Atlantic region than in the relatively young province I represent. Given Canada's evolution and geography, that all makes sense, but she did visit Alberta six times, and so mountain ranges, a street in Edmonton and an annual international show jumping competition at Spruce Meadows all proudly bear her name.

I will close with her words about Alberta and Albertans, whose main qualities she so accurately captured in her remarks at the centennial in 2005. She said:

When looking back on the story of Alberta, we see it extend well before 1905. It is indeed the story of Canada. Your First Nations peoples inhabited the prairies over ten thousand years ago, living in harmony with nature—then as they do now. By the 1800's, these first citizens, along with the Métis, were joined by explorers, homesteaders, and railway workers from all over the world.

They had a dream to build homes in a land where freedom reigned. They created a spirit of belonging to a bountiful country under the principles of “peace, order, and good government” and the unifying influence of the Crown. It is a fitting homage to these ancestors that your motto is Fortis et Liber...Strong and Free.

I want to say something on behalf of the people of Lakeland and for all of those who love horses and feel kinship with the Queen's unwavering passion for this most significant animal to the course of human history and human aspiration. My husband will tell members the affliction of horse crazy people like me is innate and enduring. In reverence for her renowned equestrianism, her successful competition horses and her preservation breeding, I say thank you, Godspeed and ride on, Your Majesty.

Long live the King.

Shannon Stubbs

$600,400.00