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Create AccountRoyalty have been touring Canada since the late 18th century, visiting every province and territory and meeting with Canadians from all walks of life. Here are 10 of the most memorable royal tours of Canada.
Henry “Harry” Herbert Stevens, businessman, politician, federal cabinet minister (born 8 December 1878 in Bristol, England; died 14 June 1973 in Vancouver, BC). Henry Herbert Stevens was a Vancouver city councillor, a long-serving member of parliament (MP) and a federal cabinet minister. He was a key figure in the King-Byng Affair and in the turning away of the Komagata Maru. Stevens was outspoken in his opposition to immigration, Vancouver’s Chinese community and BC’s First Nations, and in his efforts to preserve Canada as “a white man’s country.” (See also Racism; Prejudice and Discrimination in Canada.) He was also the founder and leader of the short-lived Reconstruction Party.
Camilla, Queen Consort, formerly Duchess of Cornwall (born 17 July 1947 in London, United Kingdom), is the second wife of King Charles III, monarch of Canada, the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth Realms. She has undertaken five official tours of Canada with the then Prince of Wales, including celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017 and Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
John George “Dief the Chief” Diefenbaker, PC, CH, KC, FRSC, prime minister 1957–63, politician, lawyer (born 18 September 1895 in Neustadt, ON; died 16 August 1979 in Ottawa, ON). John Diefenbaker was Canada’s 13th prime minister. He was well known as a defence lawyer before his election to Parliament, and was an eloquent spokesman for “non-establishment” Canada. A supporter of civil rights for all, Diefenbaker championed the Canadian Bill of Rights and the extension of the right to vote to First Nations peoples. He also played an important role in the anti-apartheid statement that led to South Africa’s departure from the Commonwealth in 1961. He was a charismatic and popular speaker; but he was also a divisive force within the Progressive Conservative Party. He was criticized for his indecision concerning nuclear missiles on Canadian soil; for his strained relations with US President John F. Kennedy; and for his cancellation of the Avro Arrow project.
In the end, no one had to tell Jean-Louis ROUX that the show could not go on. One of Canada's most distinguished actors, the 73-year-old Roux had been the subject of controversy ever since his August 8 appointment as Quebec's LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR.
Antonio J. Barrette, premier of Québec in 1960 and leader of the Union Nationale (born 26 May 1899 in Joliette, Québec; died 15 December 1968 in Montréal).
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on November 24, 1997. Partner content is not updated.
In the late 1930s, when Jack Pickersgill was a freshly minted civil servant in Ottawa, he decided to take a motorcycle trip to the United States. When he arrived at the border, a customs official asked him to prove his Canadian citizenship by naming his place of birth.Imagine that your family has lived on the same land for generations. Over time, others arrive, take residence and establish a government whose rules now apply to you. But they do not include you in consultations — in fact, they specifically exclude you.
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on March 24, 2003. Partner content is not updated.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, PC, prime minister of Canada 1896–1911, politician, lawyer, journalist (born 20 November 1841 in St-Lin, Canada East; died 17 February 1919 in Ottawa, ON). Sir Wilfrid Laurier was the dominant political figure of his era. He was leader of the Liberal Party from 1887 to 1919 and Prime Minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. A skilful and pragmatic politician with a charismatic personality, he unceasingly sought compromise. Above all, he was a fervent promoter of national unity at a time of radical change and worsening cultural conflict. Laurier also promoted the development and expansion of the country. He encouraged immigration to Western Canada; supported the construction of transcontinental railways; and oversaw the addition of Alberta and Saskatchewan to Confederation.
Like so many people before and after them, Emmett Hall's parents moved to Western Canada seeking a better life for their young family.
As he prepared to deal with mounting criticism of his government's handling of national unity issues and last week's cabinet shuffle, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien spoke to Ottawa Editor Anthony Wilson-Smith.
Paul Rose, Québecois indépendantiste leader, terrorist, unionist (born 16 October 1943 in Montreal, Quebec; died 14 March 2013 in Montreal). He was a member of the Chénier Cell, also known as the South Shore Gang, of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) and a key player in the October Crisis. On 13 March 1971, he was sentenced for the kidnapping and murder of Pierre Laporte, a minister in the government of Quebec.
Hugh Burnett, civil rights activist, carpenter (born 14 July 1918 in Dresden, ON; died 29 September 1991 in London, ON). Burnett was a key figure in the fight for anti-discrimination legislation in Ontario. Through the 1940s and early 1950s, he organized tirelessly against racial discrimination in public service in his hometown of Dresden, Ontario, rising to prominence as a leader and organizer of the National Unity Association (NUA), a coalition of Black community members pushing for equal rights in Dresden and the surrounding area. He was instrumental to in bringing about legislative and legal victories for civil rights at the provincial level related to the 1954 Fair Accommodation Practices Act, an early anti-discrimination law in Ontario.
Frederick Rennie Emerson, KC. Lawyer, linguist, composer, singer, pianist, violinist, teacher, arts administrator, b St John's, Nfld, 2 April 1895, d Halifax, NS, 30 November 1972.
Jean-Jacques Bertrand, Premier of Québec and leader of the Union Nationale party (born 20 June 1916 in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, QC; died 22 February 1973 in Montréal, QC).
Daniel Johnson, Québec premier and leader of the Union nationale (born 9 April 1915 in Sainte-Anne-de-Danville, Québec; died 26 September 1968 at the Manic-5 Dam, 214 km north of Baie-Comeau, Québec).
This time there will be no push. No false non-aggression pact like the one Brian MULRONEY made with him in the early 1980s while all the while scheming against him.
Ella Cora Hind, journalist, agricultural authority, activist and suffragist (born 18 September 1861 in Toronto, ON; died 6 October 1942 in Winnipeg, MB). A pioneer throughout her life, Hind was an acclaimed grain expert, a champion of women’s rights and an advocate for the franchise.
