THUNDER BAY – The passing of Queen Elizabeth II marks the end of an era, says Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski.
“I think it was a day that we all knew was going to come," he said in an interview. "Having said that, it doesn’t make it any easier."
The Queen died Thursday afternoon at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after serving as Britain's longest-serving monarch.
“One constant in all of our lives, pretty well, has been the Queen and a constant source of virtue," Powlowski said. "That’s been there through my whole life. Her passing certainly seems to mark an end of an era."
"It’s a particularly poignant moment for people of a certain generation that grew up during the War. It’s a generation that embodied a lot of those same virtues that the Queen had."
“[She was] certainly a model of class, of dignity, of empathy all the things that you wanted in a leader."
The day is also cause for "a certain amount of celebration," he said.
"She lived an extremely long and productive life and was very healthy. She had a great and wonderful life and was the head of state for a good part of the world for an extremely long time.”
When asked about Charles, who is now King, Powlowski responded, “I certainly hope that he walks in her footsteps in every way. She was certainly a leader that I think any other leader would want to emulate, so I certainly hope he carries on in her tradition.”
