Over the years, Canadians have had a lot to say about their Queen and their monarchy. Below is a sampling of some of the Queen's views on Canada and some prominent contemporary Canadians' view of their Queen and monarchy:

The Queen on Canada

"I have always felt not only welcome but at home in Canada."
(2005, Alberta)

"My mother once said that this country felt like a "home away from home" for the Queen of Canada. Ladies and gentlemen, six decades later it still does.... and it is good to be back."
(2005, Saskatchewan)

"During a previous visit 32 years ago I said that "... I want the Crown in Canada to represent everything that is best and most admired in the Canadian ideal. I will continue to do my best to make it so during my lifetime, and I hope you will all continue to give me your help in this task." I would like to repeat those words today as, together, we continue to build a country that remains the envy of the world."
(2005, Alberta)

"I want to express my profound gratitude to all Canadians ... for the loyalty, encouragement and support you have given to me over these past 50 years."
(2002, Quebec)

"I would like to affirm before you tonight that wherever the future may take us, my admiration and affection for Canada and Canadians everywhere is, and will always remain, clear, strong and sure."
(2002, Quebec)

"Canada Forever."
(2002, Hamilton)

"I treasure my place in the life of Canada and my bond with Canadians everywhere."
(2002, Vancouver)

"It is a privilege to serve you as Queen of Canada to the best of my ability, to play my part in the Canadian identity."
(2002, Vancouver)

"I am proud to be the first member of the Canadian royal family to be greeted in Canada's newest territory. I thank you for welcoming us so warmly."
(2002, Nunavut)

"These memories -- and so many many others over these 50 years -- help to explain not only the admiration but the deep affection I feel for this country and for Canadians everywhere."
(2002, Nunavut)

"The people of the North hold a special place in our memories and in our hearts."
(1994, Yellowknife)

"It is fitting that here, in the nation's capital, and before its Parliament Buildings, we should celebrate this anniversary. I am reminded that I spoke, when I was here last, of the way in which that Canada Day united Sovereign, Parliament and people. Today, as Canadians are working to modernize and improve the Constitution, this unity of its three elements is yet more significant."
(1992, Canada Day)

"I and members of my family have been with you on many special days in the life of this country. I particularly recall another July 1st in Canada's Centennial Year, here on Parliament Hill. I said then, and I repeat it today, that 'Canada is a country that has been blessed beyond most countries in the world'. It is a country worth working for." (1990)

"I'm going home to Canada tomorrow."
(1983, on leaving California for Canada)

"I'm getting to know our country rather well." (1978)

"I dedicate myself anew to the people and the nation I am proud to serve."  
(1977, Speech from the Throne, Ottawa)

"Canada asks no citizen to deny their forebearers, to forsake their inheritance - only that each should accept and value the cultural freedom of others as he enjoys his own. It is a gentle invitation, this call to citizenship and I urge those who have accepted the invitation to participate fully in the building of the Canadian society and to demonstrate the real meaning of the brotherhood of man." (1973)

"I count myself fortunate to be at the head of a state in which such a society (open to everyone) exists and which is strongly established in freedom and tolerance." (1970)

"From the moment when I first set foot on Canadian soil the feeling of strangeness went, for I knew myself to be not only amongst friends, but amongst fellow countrymen." (1951)

Canadians on The Queen

"As Queen of Canada, you have borne witness to our national growth and, indeed, have been present for many historic moments in the life of our country. I have had the honour to be in your presence on numerous occasions, and have always admired your commitment to Canada and your very genuine affection for Canadians."
Jean Chrétien
former Prime Minister of Canada, 2002

"Together we Canadians have accomplished a great deal... And always Her Majesty The Queen has been by our side as faithful witness to our successes and achievements."
Sheila Copps
former Minister of Heritage, 2002

"I feel pride every time I go into a citizenship ceremony and I repeat the Oath of Citizenship and I pledge allegiance to the Queen."
Elinor Caplan
former Minister of Citizenship, 2001

"I see the Crown as an important part of our constitutional arrangements..."
Anne McLellan
former Minister of Justice, 2001

"We're able to have the best of both worlds. We have the stability and the tradition of the monarchical system, but we also have a Canadian representative in the Governor General, who represents Canada as it is, as a Canadian, and does an incredible job representing the Monarch, but also all Canadians."
David Collenette
former Minister of Transport, 2001

"The monarchy is something we're an important part of. I like it for our country and I like it partly because it is something the Americans haven't got."
Senator Frank Mahovlich
former NHL star, 2001

"...The monarchy is alive and well in New Brunswick."
Hon. Margaret McCain
former Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, 1996

"The Monarchy is not a problem in Canada ...It is not an issue at all."
Jean Chrétien
Prime Minister of Canada, 1995
To Paul Keating, Australia's then republican
Prime Minister

"The point to be made is that the Queen is Our Monarch and likely she and her successors will be all that will be available in that line of work. Our ruler only does what we say and only says what we asked be said, and goes where we tell her to go......But for all those who don't want the Queen there are easily as many who don't want a President and even more who certainly would not want one if they knew who it would be. As you can readily see, I have given more thought to this subject than most and I have reached my own conclusion. God save the Queen."
Dalton Camp
political columnist, 1994

"The monarchy is the last bulwark of democracy."
Daniel Johnson
former Premier of Quebec, 1994

"When you think about it, the American Revolution was promoted by the French. And they, Quebec, refused to join. It was nothing to do with language but a lot to do with religion. And they felt more secure in the main, Catholics in Canada. More security for the religion, what the Monarchy was giving them in those days, compared to the Americans. So they stayed."
Jean Chrétien
former Prime Minister of Canada, 1994

"For the Monarchy is much more than a person. It embodies the constitutional framework of our freedoms, the set of beliefs and attitudes of tolerance that make up this great country and make it distinctive. The Queen is the symbol of what we are today and the history of which we are the result and which is part of us. If Canada were to abolish the Monarchy we would be abolishing the symbol of our distinctiveness."
Henry Jackman
former Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, 1994

"In a government like ours, the Crown is the abiding and unshakeable element in government, politicians may come and go, but the Crown remains and certain aspects of our system pertain to it which are not dependent on any political party. In this sense the Crown is the consecrated spirit of Canada."
Robertson Davies
Introduction to Hunting Stuart & The Voice Of The People, 1994

"The Oath to the Queen is fundamental to the administration of law in this country. It signifies that, here in Canada, justice is done - not in the name of the Prime Minister, or the Mayor, or the Police Chief, as in totalitarian nations - but by the people, in the name of the Queen. Rather than being offensive, I submit that it's one of the hallmarks of our society that attracts people to Canada."
Mike Harris
former Premier of Ontario, 1993

"...I was always impressed not only by the grace she [Queen Elizabeth II] displayed in public at all times, but by the wisdom she showed in private conversation."
Pierre-Elliot Trudeau
former Prime Minister of Canada, 1993
As written in his memoirs

"The Crown has symbolized a continuity in the values of decency, fairness and equality before the law that have made this country great. And no Sovereign has served her Canadian subjects with more grace, more concern and more goodwill than has Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen's sense of duty, her courage, warmth and her honour are known and appreciated by all Canadians."
Brian Mulroney
former Prime Minister of Canada, 1992

"The Queen has no personal power; but the crown is the foundation of Canadian political, legal and social practice, and the guarantor of our rights and freedoms. The Queen offers a reasonable alternative to anarchy, republicanism, communism or fascism."
Heather Robertson
columnist, 1991