OTTAWA-
Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson are due to eulogize Queen Elizabeth at a memorial service Monday in Ottawa.
Canadian artists Rufus Wainwright and Ginette Reno will also perform songs in tribute to the Queen, according to new details the federal government has released of commemorative events planned on the day of her state funeral in London.
Donald Booth, the King’s Canadian Secretary, and Brigadier General. Guy Belisle, the Canadian Armed Forces chaplain general, is due to read prayers during the service at Christ Church Cathedral, which begins at 1 p.m. and will be televised and broadcast live.
Prior to the event, a memorial parade will begin at 12:10 p.m., departing from the Cartier Armory and arriving at the church for the start of the ceremony.
The parade will include two mounted RCMP Musical Ride detachments, a 100-person military honor guard, several marching bands, 17 honorary bearers and a color bearer.
During the parade, a 96-gun salute will sound from nearby LeBreton Flats, opposite the Canadian War Museum – a salute for each year of the Queen’s life.
The church service will also feature a tribute from Albert Dumont, Ottawa English Poet Laureate and Algonquin Spiritual Advisor.
And in addition to styles from Wainwright and Reno, the ceremony will include “musical interludes” performed by artists such as violinist David Baik, playwright, producer and director Tomson Highway, singer Patricia Cano and saxophonist Marcus Ali.
Singer and actor Kim Richardson will sing the national anthem.
The celebrants will be Dean of Christ Church Cathedral Beth Bretzlaff and Bishop Shane Parker of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa.
Dignitaries, diplomats and politicians, including former Prime Minister Joe Clark, are expected to be in the room.
The public will also be able to follow the event on large screens in front of the Garden of the Provinces and Territories on Wellington Street.
At the end of the service, CF-18 jet fighters from the Royal Canadian Air Force will fly over the Cathedral and Parliament Hill.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Governor General Mary Simon and a delegation including a handful of their predecessors are expected to attend the funeral in London, which will mark the end of a period of official mourning that began at his death last week.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on September 15, 2022