State funerals in Canada

State funerals in Canada are public events held to commemorate former governors general, prime ministers, members of the Cabinet who died in office, and, at the Cabinet's discretion, other eminent Canadians. With ceremonial, military, and religious elements incorporated, state funerals are offered and executed by the Governor General-in-Council, who provides a dignified manner for the Canadian people to mourn a national public figure. Provincial and territorial governments may also perform state funerals for citizens in their particular jurisdictions; however, most state funerals are federal affairs.

The remains of John A. Macdonald lying in state in the Senate Chamber, 1891

Process

State funerals are not required by any law and the family of the deceased may opt not to have such an event take place. Should the family agree to a state funeral, the Department of Canadian Heritage (DCH) will work in close consultation with them, as well as other government departments and elements of the private sector, the degree of involvement depending on the size and complexity of the event. Similarly, the timeline varies on a case by case basis, most lasting between five and six days, during which the national flag is flown at half-mast on the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and at other federal Crown-owned installations across the country.

The funeral train of Sir John A. Macdonald carrying his remains on 10 June 1891 from Ottawa to Kingston, Ontario

A formal statement issued by the Governor General-in-Council is typically broadcast by the media to notify the general public of an upcoming state funeral, while the DCH issues invitations according to the Order of Precedence, with foreign heads of state and government included.[1] Meanwhile, in the days leading up to the funeral, the body is transported from the place of death to Ottawa, whereupon the casket is met by a guard of honour—drawn from the Governor General's Foot Guards for a former governor general and from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for a former prime minister and other ministers or honoured individuals—and escorted by it to the Centre Block of the parliament buildings. There, the remains lie in state for a period of two days, with four members of the accordant guard of honour maintaining a constant vigil; for the remains of governors general, this takes place in the Senate chamber, in the Hall of Honour for those of prime ministers, and in other rooms for other individuals. On both days, designated hours are set for public viewing. The coffin is then escorted from the Centre Block to a waiting hearse as a gun salute is fired; 21 guns for a governor general, 19 guns for a prime minister, and 15 guns for others. The casket is then either transported to another location in the country for further memorials or to the place of burial.

State funeral memorial services are typically held in churches. The choice of host church is dependent on the religious faith of the deceased. However, since 1968, all state funerals held in Ottawa have included a service at the Anglican Church of Canada's Christ Church Cathedral; its five state funerals are the most of any venue. Three other churches have hosted two state funerals: All Saints Anglican Church, Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, all in Ottawa. The state funeral of Jack Layton, held in 2011 at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, is the only Canadian state funeral to have been held outside of a church.

Similar to a state funeral is a commemoration ceremony, which is a religious or memorial service to mark the passing of an individual from a family that did not wish a state funeral or did not reside in Canada. For instance, a commemoration ceremony was held in Ottawa in 2002 for the death of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and in 2013 for Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa; nevertheless, these commemorations may be classified as state funerals by the Canadian government.[2]

Not all who lie in state at parliament, nor all for whom flags are flown at half-mast, receive a state funeral. The exception was made for the funeral of Retired Sergeant Ernest Smith, the last living Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross from the Second World War.

History

The funeral procession of Thomas D'Arcy McGee in Montreal, 1868

The first state funeral in Canada was held for Thomas D'Arcy McGee after his assassination in April 1868.[3] The first Governor General of Canada to receive a state funeral was Lord Tweedsmuir in 1940, who died in office. Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister was also the first to receive a state funeral. Jack Layton was the first Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition who was not also a former prime minister to be honoured with a state funeral;[4] after lying in state in the foyer of the House of Commons, the funeral service took place at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto.

List of state funerals in Canada

Canadian state funerals

State position	Name	Date of funeral	Place of funeral	Venue	Sources
Cabinet minister	Thomas D'Arcy McGee	1868	Ottawa, Ontario	St. Patrick's Bascilica	[5][6][7]
Prime minister	John A. Macdonald	1891	Ottawa, Ontario	St. Alban's Anglican Church	[8][9]
Prime minister	Alexander Mackenzie	1892	Toronto, Ontario	Jarvis Street Baptist Church	[10]
Prime minister	John Abbott	1893	Montreal, Quebec	Christ Church Cathedral	[11]
Prime minister	John Sparrow David Thompson	1895	Halifax, Nova Scotia	St. Mary's Basilica	[12][13]
Prime minister	Charles Tupper	1915	Halifax, Nova Scotia	St. Paul's Anglican Church	[14]
Prime minister	Mackenzie Bowell	1917	Belleville, Ontario	Bridge Street Methodist Church	[15]
Prime minister	Wilfrid Laurier	1919	Ottawa, Ontario	Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica	[16][17][18]
Cabinet minister	James Robb	1929	Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec	Valleyfield United Church	[19]
Cabinet minister	George Eulas Foster	1932	Ottawa, Ontario	Chalmers United Church	[20]
Prime minister	Robert Borden	1937	Ottawa, Ontario	All Saints Anglican Church	[21]
Cabinet minister	George Halsey Perley	1938	Ottawa, Ontario	All Saints Anglican Church	[22]
Governor general	The Lord Tweedsmuir	1940	Ottawa, Ontario	St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Cabinet minister	Ernest Lapointe	1941	Quebec City, Quebec	Saint-Roch Church	[23][24]
Cabinet minister	Raoul Dandurand	1942	Montreal, Quebec	Église Saint-Viateur d'Outremont	[25]
Prime minister	William Lyon Mackenzie King	1950	Ottawa, Ontario	St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Cabinet minister	Humphrey Mitchell	1950	Ottawa, Ontario	St. Barnabas, Apostle and Martyr Anglican Church	[26]
Cabinet minister	Alcide Côté	1955	Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec	Cathedral of Saint-Jean-l'Évangéliste	[27][28]
Prime minister	Arthur Meighen	1960	Toronto, Ontario	St. Andrew's United Church
Cabinet minister	Jack Garland	1964	North Bay, Ontario	St. Andrew's United Church	[29]
Governor general	Georges Vanier	1967	Ottawa, Ontario	Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica
Governor general	Vincent Massey	1968	Ottawa, Ontario	Christ Church Cathedral	[30]
Prime minister	Lester B. Pearson	1972	Ottawa, Ontario	Christ Church Cathedral
Prime minister	Louis St. Laurent	1973	Quebec City, Quebec	Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral
Prime minister	John Diefenbaker	1979	Ottawa, Ontario	Christ Church Cathedral	[31]
Governor general	Jules Léger	1980	Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec	Basilique-Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile	[32][33]
Cabinet minister	Daniel J. MacDonald	1980	Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island	St. Dunstan's Basilica	[34][35]
Governor general	Roland Michener	1991	Ottawa, Ontario	Christ Church Cathedral	[36]
Governor general	Jeanne Sauvé	1993	Montreal, Quebec	Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral	[37]
Prime minister	Pierre Trudeau	2000	Montreal, Quebec	Notre-Dame Basilica	[34]
Governor general	Ray Hnatyshyn	2002	Ottawa, Ontario	Christ Church Cathedral
Governor general	Roméo LeBlanc	2009	Memramcook, New Brunswick	Saint-Thomas de Memramcook Church	[34][38][39]
Leader of the Opposition	Jack Layton	2011	Toronto, Ontario	Roy Thomson Hall
Cabinet minister	Jim Flaherty	2014	Toronto, Ontario	St. James Cathedral	[40][41][42]

• According to some sources Alexander Mackenzie did not have a state funeral.[43][44]
• McGee, Foster, Perley, and Flaherty were not sitting cabinet ministers at the times of their deaths.
• Sidney Smith, External Affairs Minister, qualified for a state funeral in 1959, but did not receive one.[45]
• A state funeral was offered for assassinated Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Laporte in 1970 but his widow declined.[46]
• A state funeral was offered for Chief Justice Bora Laskin by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau but his family declined.[47]

National Commemoration Ceremonies

State position	Name	Date of ceremony	Place of ceremony	Building	Sources
Queen consort	Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother	2002	Ottawa, Ontario	Christ Church Cathedral	[2]
President of South Africa	Nelson Mandela	2013	Ottawa, Ontario	Parkdale United Church	[2][48]

List of provincial state funerals in Canada

Alberta

State position	Name	Date of funeral	Place of funeral	Building	Sources
Lieutenant-Governor	Dr. J. W. Grant MacEwan	2000	Edmonton	Robertson-Wesley United Church	[49]
Premier	Peter Lougheed	2012	Edmonton	Alberta Legislature	[50]
Premier	Jim Prentice	2016	Calgary	Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium	[51]

Newfoundland and Labrador

State position	Name	Date of funeral	Place of funeral	Building	Sources
Lieutenant-Governor, federal and provincial cabinet minister	John Crosbie	2020	St. John's	Cathedral of St. John the Baptist	[52]

Ontario

State position	Name	Date of funeral	Place of funeral	Building	Sources
Lieutenant governor	Lincoln Alexander	2012	Hamilton	Hamilton Place Theatre	[53]
Premier	John Robarts	1982	Toronto	St. Paul's Anglican Church	[54][55]

Quebec

State funerals in Quebec are reserved for former premiers. "National" funerals may be held for other distinguished Quebecers. Unlike state funerals, these are only partially subsidized by the government.[56]

State position	Name	Date of funeral	Place of funeral	Building	Sources
Premier	Maurice Duplessis	1959	Trois-Rivières	De l'Assomption (Immaculée-Conception) Cathedral	[57][58]
Premier	Daniel Johnson Sr.	1968	Quebec City	Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec	[59][60]
Premier	Jean Lesage	1980	Quebec City	Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec	[61][62]
Premier	René Lévesque	1987	Quebec City	Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec	[63]
Premier	Robert Bourassa	1996	Montreal	Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal	[64]
Premier	Jacques Parizeau	2015	Montreal	Église Saint-Germain	[65]
Premier	Bernard Landry	2018	Montreal	Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal	[66]

National funerals

Occupation	Name	Date of funeral	Place of funeral	Building	Sources
Athlete	Maurice Richard	2000	Montreal	Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal	[67]
Union leader	Louis Laberge	2002	Montreal	Basilique Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde	[68]
Athlete	Jean Béliveau	2014	Montréal	Basilique Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde	[69]
Music producer and agent	René Angélil	2016	Montreal	Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal

See also

• Death and state funeral of Pierre Trudeau
• Death and state funeral of Jack Layton

References

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