Political leaders in Quebec were paying their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday at the age of 96, though one leader expressed his criticisms about lowering the Quebec flag to mark her death.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Queen was "a constant presence in our lives" and praised her for being in Canada for the country's key milestones during her reign, which spanned more than seven decades.
In Quebec, leaders were sharing messages of condolences to the British people to mark the Queen's passing.
"She made a lot of sacrifices and she was a strong woman. And I think that there must be indeed a lot of people, a lot of admirers there, who must be a bit stunned today," said François Legault Thursday, after suspending his election campaign as the country mourns.
The incumbent premier of Quebec ordered all flags on public buildings to be lowered to half-mast out of respect for the Queen. A register will be available next to the Quebec legislature building for members of the public who wish to pay their respect to the Royal Family.
Reacting to the Queen's death, Quebec Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade said she regarded the monarch as "a great leader."
"She was a woman who was ahead of her time. A historical figure who dedicated her entire life to public service and she did so with grace and dignity," she said in a press scrum.
"My sympathies, my condolences are with her family and with the British people."
Quebec Liberal leader Dominique Anglade speaks to the media while campaigning Thursday, September 8, 2022 in Laval. Quebec votes in the provincial election Oct. 3, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan RemiorzThe leader of the Quebec Conservatives, Éric Duhaime, told reporters "it's a very sad day."
"The Queen was an institution, of course, by her function, but also because of the fact that she's been there for so long," he said.
"It's something very unique and I think she was a Queen for the role that she was assuming, did quite a great job in the sense that she was not controversial, she was liked by everyone and I think everybody's sad today."
Quebec Solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois expressed his condolences on Twitter.
"Queen Elizabeth II will have marked her time. I would like to offer my condolences and wish a peaceful mourning to her loved ones," Nadeau-Dubois said.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante praised the Queen's dedication to public service in a tweet on Thursday, adding that she "showed a great sense of duty during her reign."
QUEBEC FLAG SHOULD NOT BE LOWERED, PQ SAYS
There was one political leader, however, who was opposed to the Quebec flag being lowered as a tribute to the Queen.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said in a tweet that "although I also offer my condolences to the family, I object to the Quebec nation lowering its flag."
He went on to say that Legault "should not treat the Queen of England as head of the Quebec state, nor give credibility to an illegitimate British colonial regime in Quebec."
St-Pierre Plamondon's tweet was panned by many online as being disrespectful, but his feelings toward the monarchy are ones that do seem to resonate with more and more Canadians.
An Angus Reid poll in April showed that more than half of Canadians support the idea of doing away with the monarchy. In Quebec, the overwhelming majority — 71 per cent — are in favour of the idea.
"So what you have is that there is a declining support for the monarchy in Canada, including outside of Quebec. But in Quebec, of course, support for the monarchy, especially among francophones, has long been limited," said Daniel Béland, a professor at the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada.
Béland also told The Canadian Press that although she made an effort to speak in French during her visits to Quebec, sometimes her visits were marked with controversy, particularly because of her remarks about Canadian unity.
- Listen on CJAD 800: Montrealers share fond memories of Queen Elizabeth II
With files from CTV Montreal's Bogdan Lytvynenko
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