Romeo Leblanc, former GG, dies

[dapaterson]

Just hitting the wires.  Canadian Press reports:

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Date: 24-06-09, 12:27ET

OTTAWA _ Romeo LeBlanc, the first Acadian to be appointed governor general of Canada and a central figure in the Liberal party for more than two decades, has died after a lengthy illness.

Born in the tiny farming community of Memramcook in southeastern New Brunswick, LeBlanc worked as a teacher and then as a journalist before moving to the political arena.

He became an important player in the federal Liberal party, serving as press secretary to former Liberal prime ministers Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, before being elected as a New Brunswick MP in 1972.

As federal fisheries minister in the Trudeau cabinet, he was called the ``fishermen's minister.''

He was also instrumental in establishing Canada's 200-mile offshore economic zone and helped shape the International Law of the Sea.

LeBlanc became a Senator in 1984, was appointed Speaker of the Senate in 1993 and became governor general in 1995.

 

[OldSolduer]

RIP Senator.

 

[Takeniteasy]

He attended along with his wife the first Sar Tech course graduation parade in Comox in 1997.

R.I.P

 

[Limey]

R.I.P. your Excellency.

I remember very well taking part in the Guard of Honour to Welcome him to Rideau Hall on a cold winter day in when he was first appointed as Governor General. He was quieter than his predecessor Ray Hnatyshyn or his successor Adrienne Clarke but he had a very solemn and dignified air to him.

Limey

 

[kratz]

Upon hearing there is direction for CF Establishments to half mast flags
until until sunset the day of his funeral, I was curious if the service
would occur before or after Canada Day.

This afternoon, I see through CBC.ca, Romeo Leblanc's service will be a state funeral on 3 July 09.

 

[dapaterson]

There was no need for explicit direction to half-mast, as it's already stated in CFP 200, Chapter 4, section 2, para 24 that:

Unless special instructions are received, all flags shall be half-masted at all defence establishments and HMC ships (see Figure 4-2-5) from the time of notification of death until sunset on the day of the funeral or the memorial service upon death of:
...
c. a former Governor-General;

 

[dangerboy]

It was probably a good thing that instruction was sent out as most people do not have CFP 200 memorized and there would have some bases/units without the flags lowered

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Ceremonies related to the State funeral for the Right Honourable Roméo LeBlanc
Date: June 25, 2009

Schedule of ceremonies related to the State funeral for the Right Honourable Roméo LeBlanc:

Lying in State
Canadians are invited to pay their respects to the late Right Honourable Roméo LeBlanc, former Governor General of Canada. The lying in state will take place in the Memramcook Institute chapel.

Please note that this advisory is subject to change without notice.

The details are as follows:

Date: Thursday, July 2
Time: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. ADT
Place: Memramcook Institute
488 Centrale Street
Memramcook, New Brunswick

State Funeral
The State funeral will take place on July 3, 2009. Limited seating will be available inside Saint-Thomas Church. Seating will be available to the first members of the general public to arrive.

Date: Friday, July 3
Time: 11 a.m. ADT
Place: Saint-Thomas Church
576 Centrale Street
Memramcook, New Brunswick

At the request of the family, the burial ceremony will not be open to the media nor the public.

The Government of Canada invites all who have a flagpole to fly their Canadian flag at half-mast to honour the memory of the Right Honourable Roméo LeBlanc, former Governor General of Canada.

Information:
Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Funérailles d'État de l'Honorable Roméo Leblanc
Date: July 1, 2009

Important information for those who would like to pay their respects at the lying-in-state and the state funeral of the Right Honourable Roméo LeBlanc.

Please note that this advisory is subject to change without notice.

The details are as follows:

July 2
Lying-in-state in the Old Chapel at the Memramcook Institute
10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Members of the public are invited to pay their respects.

Please note that no photography will be allowed in the Old Chapel.
The vigil guard will change every 30 minutes.
No special parking will be available; and no road closures will be in effect.

July 3
Procession from the Memramcook Institute to the Saint Thomas church
Funeral service
All visitors must be seated by 10:30 a.m.
Procession will start at 10:30 a.m.
Church service will start at 11:00 a.m.

Members of the public are invited to participate.

Because all funeral attendees must be seated in the church before the procession begins, visitors will not be able to witness both the procession and the funeral. Those who wish to see the procession are therefore invited to watch the live broadcast of the church service at the Monument Lefebvre, next to the Memramcook Institute.

Please note no photographs will be allowed in the church.

Presentation of honours after the funeral service
The National Flag of Canada and the military insignia will be presented to the family by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada. This will take place on the left side of the church.

Members of the public are invited to participate.

Twenty-one-gun salute
After the honours, a 21-gun salute will be heard. This will occur sometime between 12:30 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.

Those who live in the nearby community should note that the artillery will be set up at the Memramcook Arena and that the sound of gunshots will be very loud.

Parking and transportation
There will be no parking in the vicinity of the Memramcook Institute in the morning.

Traffic, including drop off and pick up, will be allowed until 9:30 a.m., after which time the roads will be closed until 2:00 p.m.

Parking outside of the central area will be permitted in the following locations:

•Dupuis Funeral Home (Shuttle service will be available. The last shuttle will leave the Dupuis Funeral Home at 10:15 a.m.)
•Abbé Landry Elementary School
•on the street, as directed by the RCMP
Handicapped parking will be permitted at the Memramcook Arena. A shuttle will be provided.

Information:
Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca