Speaker of the Senate
Speaker's Statement – Restoration of Black Rod
Honourable senators, before we begin the sitting, I would like to tell you of a special event that took place this past weekend.
Last Sunday, I had the honour and privilege of participating in a ceremony at Windsor Castle where Her Majesty the Queen presented back to the Senate the black rod, which had been restored.
Her Majesty herself returned the black rod to our Usher, Greg Peters, who accepted it on behalf of the Senate.
The restored black rod had already been blessed by the Dean of St. George's Chapel, the Right Reverend David Conner, at a dedication service Saturday afternoon.
The restoration of the black rod was carried out by the gifted artisans attached to the Royal Household as a project to commemorate the sesquicentennial of Canada. As honourable senators may know, significant repairs were needed as a result of an accident which caused severe damage. This work took place at Windsor over the summer. The idea of the project was the result of a collaborative initiative of the Usher and the Windsor artisans with the full support of Her Majesty.
Honourable senators, the restoration of the black rod to mark the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Confederation is an important gesture that underscores the strong personal attachment of the Queen to Canada and also the abiding importance of the Crown in our parliamentary system.
I invite all honourable senators to have a look at the black rod over the coming days in preparation of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Canada and of the Senate in our bicameral Parliament.