In an age where self restraint is lacking, temperance, thy name was Elizabeth.

The following are remarks delivered by Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner, PC MP, in the Canadian House of Commons on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

In putting words to the legacy of the second Elizabethan Age, world leaders have noted that Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II was a constant during changing times.

Yet, when she spoke of the purpose of life, the Queen quoted an Australian proverb that spoke to how change is fundamental to the human condition.

“We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love... and then we return home.”

This is the paradox Queen Elizabeth’s reign presents us. How was it that she experienced so much change during her long life of service, but was able to create a legacy that defined constancy as a thing of beauty that should be aspired to?

And how was it that a woman, of whom so very few history remembers fondly or without crediting their successes to men, so obviously succeeded in this endeavor?

The answer lies in examples which prove the opposite. Throughout human history, we have been reminded that constancy can lead to failure. History is littered with leaders who enforced rigid beliefs to the detriment of their people, often to hold power or wealth for their own benefit. The constancy of these people, in their selfish desires, invariably has led to oppression and conflict.

And history has shown that the antidote to this behavior is temperance – the virtue of self-restraint. And temperance, thy name was Elizabeth.

The Queen, throughout her life of service, paired temperance with constancy. For over seventy years she set self aside to ensure the institutions that fate charged her with leading – the Crown, the Church, and her family - remained resilient through, and emerged strengthened from, the tumult that occurred during the historic length of her reign.

She was the Crown, and in this day of modernity, the Crown remains. That is a remarkable, but critically important, accomplishment. The Crown is the foundation upon which our system of government relies. Our democracy functions because the institution our Sovereign heads must be removed from the thrust and grind of daily politics. It must manage with a long view of institutional sustainability of both our democratic institutions and the Crown itself. Today, I would argue that the Crown, as the institutional underpinning of our democracy, is healthy and strong. And this is a credit to the Queen.

Imagery of the virtue of temperance often shows a figure blending elements – usually hot and cold water – in a vessel. To temper a substance is to mix it with something else to render it with greater utility. In ensuring that the Crown remained relevant as the pace of history quickened in the last hundred years, she created a crucible in which some of the most volaille global conflicts could be cooled and tempered. And, in ensuring that the Crown was politically neutral but essential to democracy, the Queen was able to wield a soft power that had an important role in de-escalating conflict and dismantling systems of oppression.

The level of self restraint this must have taken was enormous. In a position of power, it is much easier to defend an unjust position than it is to be an agent of compromise for progress’ sake. Similarly, it is much easier to spill seeds of change without first tilling the ground, rather than setting one’s hand first to the hard work of incrementally preparing society for it to take root. The Queen did the latter of each with conviction, in most crises she faced, and in doing so, tempered the Crown into an institution we see as aiding future generations as opposed to diminishing their prospects.

While I cannot possibly equivocate with the mantle of responsibility the Queen bore for over seventy years, in my time in Parliament I have become well acquainted with the self discipline required to refrain from selfish actions in a leadership role. There have been many times where the best course of action for the people I represent is to remove myself from the grind of a polarizing political approach out of respect for the office I occupy, or when doing the right thing has not been the easy or popular course of action. In this regard, I have both succeeded and failed.

But particularly when I have succeeded, I have been struck by the feelings of loneliness that self restraint in leadership can bring, particularly as a young woman learning the lessons of governance while being in a governing role. In that, I wonder if the Queen ever felt the same way.

In that, I am reminded that the Queen was also the head of her Church, and that she referred to her faith as the anchor in her life. In her vow of service, she asked her God to help her to make good in her vow of service as Monarch. In her temperance, she lived her faith with constancy, and in doing so, did credit to the case for humanity to set itself to acting with higher purpose than self. She also exemplified that when we focus on a purpose higher than our own needs, we never truly are alone. I cannot think of a better defense of any faith than that.

In recent years, I have found kinship with the Queen in another regard. And this kinship is perhaps the greatest for all of us.

When asked about family life the Queen said, “I can answer with simplicity and conviction. I am for it.”

The role Queen Elizabeth II played in the institution of her own family was also clearly marked by temperance. It must have been so, because any woman who has raised children will tell you that motherhood is already synonymous with selflessness. Women will attribute their successes in child rearing to moments when they set self aside for the betterment of their children. However, as a woman who is raising children, I can also say that when I have failed children under my charge, it has been when my temperance has faltered. These were instances when I’ve been baited into anger, when my actions have caused them shame, or when my desire to avoid conflict stopped me from issuing discipline.

However, I have not had to be a mother with the eyes of the world upon me, with my motherhood measured against the prospective suitability of my children to take on the leadership of one of the most powerful institutions in human history. The Queen bore this responsibility without ever overtly seeking to sway public opinion on her role in her family. How difficult this must have been for all involved, and yet somehow, grace seems to have prevailed.

It is also difficult to be both a wife and institutional leader. While changes in how society views gender roles have changed in the last century, many of the societal mores which dictate how women are to be in marriage must have weighed on the Queen. Even in my short tenure as a Member of Parliament, I have certainly struggled with imbalance in this regard. However, sometimes fate offers us a gift by way of sending us a partner who bolsters our temperance. I’m sure the Queen felt this way about Prince Philip.

The maturity of character the Queen demonstrated in nurturing her family must also be set against the reality that she was simultaneously grooming her heirs for the sake of the Crown. During the last century of change, many families have been broken. And while the Royal family has not been immune from storms during the tenure of the Queen, that they survived them with temperance is a mark of their humanity, not of their failure. 

As a citizen of the Commonwealth, I am profoundly grateful that the Queen is succeeded by three generations of heirs who both clearly loved her as a familial matriarch and through their own actions have demonstrated that they too embrace temperance as a virtue in Crown, faith, and family. I suspect that would be the true measure by which the Queen measured her success in her life of service.

So as the world marks the end of the second Elizabethan Age, many will be feeling a profound heaviness, as I am.

I believe the world is grieving because it is apparent how heavy was the burden of temperate constancy that the Queen shouldered. It now falls to others to uphold.

In that, we pray for the health and wisdom of our new Sovereign, His Majesty King Charles III, his Queen Consort, and the entire Royal family as they both mourn and take on new mantles of leadership.

And I pray for us all. As a Privy Counselor, I swore an oath to be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Queen and her Heirs and Successors. On some days, I have felt that my actions have done credit to her temperance. And on some days, I know they have not. In those moments, and during these uncertain times, I am reminded that I bear the duty and responsibility to temper my actions with selflessness – as do we all. The health of our democracy and society depends upon it.

May the Queen rest in the peace provided by our collective commitment to take up this torch.

Today, in the service of the people of Calgary Nose Hill, I recommit to my oath to do the same.

Long live the King.