Like other politicians, Burnaby MLAs are sending condolences and reflecting the sudden death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday (Sept. 8).
"Queen Elizabeth has been our monarch my entire life," Burnaby North MLA Janet Routledge wrote on social media.
"I was part of the crowd that welcomed her to Fort Henry in Kingston Ontario when she was fairly new to her job. I was about 3 years old. I waved a Red Ensign. She defines an era."
Burnaby-Lougheed MLA Katrina Chen shared B.C. Premier John Horgan's tweet sending condolences.
"We offer our deepest condolences on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II," Horgan said.
"With each of her visits to our province, the Queen brought British Columbians together in common purpose. She will always be remembered for her full-hearted service to people."
Queen Elizabeth II made 22 visits to Canada during her reign — seven to British Columbia.
She assumed the throne in 1952 at the age of 25 after her father's death. She died Thursday at the age of 96.
The Queen had increasingly handed over duties to Charles and other members of the Royal Family in recent months as she recovered from a bout of COVID-19, began using a cane and struggled to get around
Prince Charles, now known as King Charles III, along with his wife, Camilla, and sister, Princess Anne, were with the Queen at Balmoral Castle, her summer residence in Scotland after her doctors had said they were concerned about her health. Other members of the royal family, including Charles' sons, Princes William and Harry, were said to be en route.
In 2002, Elizabeth marked her Golden Jubilee, becoming only the fifth British monarch to reign for 50 years.
She matched another historical milestone in 2012 by becoming the second monarch to celebrate a diamond jubilee, and made history alone in 2015 when she succeeded her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria as the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
Earlier this year, she became the first monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne.
- with files from The Canadian Press
