N.B. to honour Roméo LeBlanc
Published Thursday July 2nd, 2009
Former governor general to lie in state today, funeral tomorrow
MEMRAMCOOK - In just more than 24 hours the ordinary streets and beautiful landscape of the Memramcook Valley will be the scene of an extraordinary procession of mourning dignitaries, VIPs, and even the artillery required for a 21-gun salute in honour of "the quintessential Canadian."
But despite the pomp and protocol that will take over Roméo LeBlanc's beloved hometown over the next two days as his brilliant life is celebrated, the former governor general's commitment to the ordinary friends and neighbours he represented in Ottawa will be honoured, assures his son Dominic.
"My concern, if I have one, is that my father's friends and people he worked with, particularly in southeastern New Brunswick know they are very welcome to visit (today) in Memramcook and also at the funeral (tomorrow)," said Dominic, the MP for Beauséjour.
"And for people who may have known him a few decades ago, and maybe lost touch in the later years, we would be thrilled if they come and are a part of this historic occasion."
He said his father would have had it no other way.
"It would be ironic that the funeral for somebody as modest and as humble as my father would be overtaken by protocol lists and security (issues) so that many of the friends and colleagues that he had known over the decades in New Brunswick would hesitate to go when otherwise they would have gone."
New Brunswickers and people from across Canada will get their first chance to pay their respects to Roméo LeBlanc this morning beginning at 10 a.m. at the Memramcook Institute.
LeBlanc will be lying-in-state today from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Memramcook Institute, where a book of condolences can be signed and where donations and flowers will be accepted.
About 600 spots will be available to the general public on a first-come first-served basis tomorrow for the 11 a.m. state funeral at the Saint Thomas Church. Canadian Heritage officials ask that everyone be seated in the church by 10:30 a.m., and note that the streets surrounding the vicinity of the church and the Memramcook Institute will be closed from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The funeral procession will begin from the Memramcook Institute, at 10:30 a.m. and will include a military band and 100-man guard, LeBlanc's family, Governor General Michaëlle Jean, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, clergy, pallbearers and honorary pallbearers.
In honour of LeBlanc's profound impact on the fishing industry during his many years as federal fisheries minister, fisheries officers will line the route of the procession.
The Archbishop of Moncton, Mgr. André Richard, will be the principal celebrant of the mass that will take place 75 per cent in French and 25 per cent in English. It is expected to last about an hour and 10 minutes.
Following the service, Governor General Michaëlle Jean will present the Canadian Flag and ensignia to LeBlanc's family. Then the Last Post is sounded, and then the Rouse is sounded, and after 10 seconds of silence, the 21-gun salute commences.
Paul "Smokey" LeBlanc, the chief of protocol at Heritage Canada, expects about 1,800 people to descend upon the small village tomorrow.
He said it is unusual for such a ceremonial event to be held in such a small village.
"It has been a long time since this has happened," he said.
"There will be a lot of traffic, cars, buses, artillery, a lot of movement."
There are upwards of 1,000 seats in the church, and another 400 people will be able to watch the ceremony from the Memramcook Institute.
And while efforts will be made to ensure the general public can attend the event, the state funeral will draw the most powerful politicians and officials in the country. Two long-time friends, former prime minister Jean Chrétien and Naomi Griffiths -- a former dean of Arts at Carleton University who is writing a book about LeBlanc's life -- will each give speeches.
The former owner of the Montreal Expos, Claude Brochu, and Alexandre (Sacha) Trudeau will be among the honorary pallbearers.
A Department of National Defence Airbus will transport friends and former colleagues of LeBlanc from Ottawa to Moncton early tomorrow morning. The plane features 196 seats, and each will be full.
RCMP Sgt. Claude Tremblay said security will be tight but not intrusive at the ceremonies. However, he warned people not to bring large bags to the funeral.
"There will be lots of dignitaries and we are asking from the public is not to bring large bags. It is a question of security," said Tremblay.
"We won't be searching everyone, but if someone has a large bag we will search it."
Tremblay said the parking area will be a relatively long distance from the church, and people can be shuttled to the church.
Dominic LeBlanc expects a moving ceremony, and said his family has been touched by the show of support from the community and across the country.
"I know that we have all been quite overwhelmed by extraordinarily generous and kind comments that people have made both publicly in the media and privately to us," he said.
"The other day I drove from Shediac towards Cap-Pelé and I became quite emotional when I saw the number of private homes where people had lowered their flags out of affection for my father.
"Those kinds of gestures from people we probably don't know mean a great deal to us."
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