Saskatchewan lieutenant-governor reflects on Queen’s passing

As the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II approaches, her representative in Saskatchewan is reflecting on the impact she had and what’s changed for him over the past week.

Lt.-Gov. Russell Mirasty told Gormley on Friday it’s still a weird feeling to not be serving the Queen. She died Sept. 8 at the age of 96.

“It was a moment to kind of say to myself, ‘I guess this is it,’ ” Mirasty said. “It’s the end of an era and things are going to change.”

Mirasty says for the most part, nothing really will change for him in his role, other than he is serving a different monarch.

“In terms of the relationship and what I do, nothing really changes. Certainly people have different views looking into the future with our relationship with the crown, but right now my duties are the same,” he said.

“Certainly, it puts a different perspective on it when we go from the Queen to the King, so that certainly changes the conversation with the language I’ll have to use going forward. I just kind of have to wrap my head around that and even saying it puts a different light on it, but (in terms of) meaning, it means the same.”

Early Monday, Queen Elizabeth II will be laid to rest. The funeral will be carried live on 980 CJME and 650 CKOM starting at 3:45 a.m.

While Monday won’t be a holiday for people in the province unless they’re federal workers, the province will still be holding a celebration of remembrance for the late monarch.

“We have the service here in Regina at St. Paul’s Cathedral at 7 p.m. and I believe Saskatoon is looking to schedule one one or two weeks into the future because of timing,” he explained.

“There will be opportunities for people, although limited. These places of worship aren’t huge, but there will be room for quite a number of people to come and express their condolences and participate in the services as best they can.”

The services are open to the public and are free to attend.

Mirasty said he never got to meet with the Queen since he has taken over the role because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he says he’s hopeful he’ll get to meet King Charles III.