Since her accession to the Throne, the Queen has enjoyed enormous popularity in Canada. We need only to look to the thousands of Canadians who lined the streets this past week, in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the Monarch, to know that the Canadian public is fascinated by Queen Elizabeth II.

This year’s royal visit marked Her Majesty’s 22nd official tour of Canada as our Queen. Since 1952, she has travelled throughout every province and territory and has completed more royal tours of Canada than any other Commonwealth country in the world. In addition, her tours in Canada have included at least three visits to Brantford, the first on July 2, 1959, where she made an appearance at the Canadian National Railway station. The next visit took place on October 1, 1984, when the Queen unveiled a plaque at Her Majesty’s Royal Chapel of the Mohawks, declaring it a National Historic Site. The third visit took place on June 28, 1997, when Her Majesty designated the former home of Alexander Graham Bell as a National Historic Site before a crowd of about 3000 people.

As the living embodiment of the Crown, the Queen unites all Canadians and represents our shared interests and values. As a constitutional monarch, Her Majesty acts entirely on the advice of the Canadian Government, while playing an important ceremonial and symbolic role in Canada.

As witnessed by her latest royal tour, Queen Elizabeth ll continues to be personally involved with Canada and Canadians even though many of her duties have been delegated to her representative, the Governor General. Aside from making regular visits to Canada and meeting as many people as possible, The Queen also supports the work of many Canadian charities, such as the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Red Cross. She also has a special relationship with the Canadian Armed Forces, acting as the Colonel-in-Chief of many units.

As Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth ll, prepares to celebrate her diamond jubilee in 2012, marking her 60 years on Britain’s throne, it is important for Canadians to continue to honour this magnificent Monarch and admire her service, dedication and loyalty to Canada.