Prime Minister Stephen Harper has appointed former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien to represent Canada on The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust' Commonwealth Advisory Group.
The Trust was established to honour the Queen's 60-year reign and will raise funds to support charitable initiatives across the Commonwealth.
“Former Prime Minister Chrétien is uniquely qualified to serve as Canada’s representative to the Diamond Jubilee Trust. Mr. Chrétien is a member of the Queen’s prestigious Order of Merit. His relationship with Her Majesty, which spans over 40 years, includes six official Royal Tours he hosted during his time as Prime Minister,” Harper said in a news release.
The appointment may be designed to calm concerns that the Harper government is obsessed with the monarchy by showing that all Canadians, especially Quebecers, can get behind the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the role of the Queen in Canada.
Details of the upcoming royal tour were also released on Monday.
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, are coming to Canada next month as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
The royal couple will visit Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in Oromocto, N.B., Saint John, Toronto and Regina from May 21 to 23.
This will be Charles' 16th visit to Canada and Camilla's second tour. They last visited in 2009.
While in Canada, Charles and Camilla will meet young veterans at Gagetown and the national leadership of the Assembly of First Nations in Toronto, attend Victoria Day fireworks and a War of 1812 event in Toronto, and attend a performance by the Regina Symphony Orchestra.
With files from The Canadian Press.
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