Mr. Speaker, I am here today to express condolences on behalf of New Democrats to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and to the entire royal family on the death of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
For me personally, during the entirety of my almost 42 years on this planet, there has always been a Prince Philip as the Queen's consort, so in some respects, his passing marks the end of an era. For most of my fellow parliamentarians, it is the same.
Born on June 10, 1921, on the Greek island of Corfu, Prince Philip was part of Danish and Greek royalty. His father, Prince Andrew, was the son of King George I of Greece and the grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark. This lineage was reflected when, in response to a comment on the quality of his French, he earnestly informed former prime minister Jean Chrétien that he was not an Englishman.
It would be a gross understatement to simply say that over the course of Prince Philip's lifetime the world has undergone great change. At his birth, the British still ruled an empire that stretched across the globe, and today, after a decades-long and often painful process of decolonization, the United Kingdom is a small island nation that is struggling to define its place in Europe.
The monarchy, too, has seen significant changes both in its formal role and in the public perception of it. From the time of his marriage to Princess Elizabeth in 1947, and through his elevation to consort of the Queen in 1953, Prince Philip was witness to many tumultuous decades in support of his wife's important role.
I want to acknowledge and pay my respects to Prince Philip's service as a World War II naval veteran, enlisting as a cadet in 1939, advancing to midshipman in 1940, sub-lieutenant in 1941, lieutenant in 1942 and soon thereafter second in command of the destroyer HMS Wallace. Prince Philip served on many different ships and saw service across the globe, from protecting Australian convoys in the Indian Ocean to seeing battles in the Mediterranean. He finally saw the end of the war with service in the British Pacific Fleet.
Among the many honorary military positions held from around the world, he was also recognized as admiral of the Royal Canadian Navy, a general of the Royal Canadian Air Force and a captain-general of the Canadian Army.
As my colleague the member for Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke mentioned earlier this week, Prince Philip will be remembered not only for being the longest-serving consort in the history of the British monarchy, but also for being the person he was. Yes, he was known for many gaffes and for being an expert at opening his mouth and putting his foot into it, referring to it personally as “dontopedalogy”.
We should also recognize that he was dedicated to encouraging young people to set high goals and work hard to achieve them through the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, which has the goal of challenging, empowering and recognizing young people and motivating them to set goals and challenge themselves to take control of their lives and futures.
He recognized the importance of the conservation movement and the importance of keeping our world habitable. He helped found the World Wide Fund for Nature and promoted conservation issues at the highest government and corporate levels. He spoke powerfully and committedly on issues such as biodiversity loss long before they entered the mainstream where they are discussed today. He recognized that if nature does not survive, neither will humans.
He was a dedicated public servant, keeping an active schedule well into his 90s. The stamina required for this active involvement was reportedly fortified by his adherence to the daily, full-body strength and flexibility regime known as the five basic exercises, which was developed to help get members of the Royal Canadian Air Force into shape without the need for equipment or much space.
Last, but certainly not least, he was there to support a powerful and strong partner in her duties as Queen.
Canada has hosted Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth many times over seven decades, when he came to know the full splendour of our country's geography from coast to coast to coast. I know many Canadians join me today in expressing our deep and sincere condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and to the entire royal family for their loss of Prince Philip.
May he rest in peace.