Wayne Gretzky to deliver eulogy at Brian Mulroney's state funeral in Montreal
Wayne Gretzky will be among the high-profile fig‐ ures to eulogize former prime minister Brian Mul‐ roney at his state funeral on March 23, government officials announced Friday.
Mulroney's daughter Car‐ oline will also speak, along with Canadian media baron Pierre Karl Péladeau, former Quebec premier Jean Charest and former U.S. secretary of state James Baker, who will address the funeral by video link.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will provide "an ad‐ dress" to those gathered at the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal at 11 a.m. on Satur‐ day, officials said. Only those invited will be permitted in the Basilica.
The funeral ceremony will feature prayers, readings, hymns and a communion to be delivered by Archbishop of Montréal Christian Lépine and Miguel Castellanos, rec‐ tor of Notre-Dame Basilica.
During a briefing Friday, Canadian Heritage officials also said that musical inter‐ ludes during the funeral will be provided by members of the Montréal Symphony Or‐ chestra (OSM) and the OSM Chorus.
A number of other musi‐ cians will also perform, in‐ cluding The Tenors vocal group, Marc Hervieux, MarieJosée Lord and Elizabeth Theodora Lapham, Mul‐ roney's granddaughter.
Before the ceremony, the funeral procession will make its way from Saint Patrick's Basilica to the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal accom‐ panied by RCMP and Canadi‐ an Armed Forces escorts, a guard of honour and the Roy‐ al Canadian Air Force Band.
Guests will include family, friends, current and former government representatives and dignitaries, and repre‐ sentatives of organizations with which Mulroney had close connections.
A 19-gun salute will be conducted at the end of the ceremony from the Clock Tower Pier in the Old Port of Montréal.
Lying in state and re‐ pose
In the days leading up to the funeral, Mulroney will lie in state at the Sir John A. Mac‐ donald Building on Welling‐ ton Street in Ottawa on March 19 from 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 20. Gov. Gen. Mary May Simon and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be invited in to pay their re‐ spects to the Mulroney family privately.
All members of the public wishing to attend the lying in state will have to pass through security screening. Once inside the building, books of condolence will be available to sign.
After the Ottawa event, Mulroney will lie in repose at Saint Patrick's Basilica on René-Lévesque Blvd. in Mon‐ tréal from March 21 to 22.
On the morning of March 21, dignitaries and family guests will privately express their sympathies to the Mul‐ roney family at the Basilica.
The public lying-in-repose will take place from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on March 21, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 22.
Members of the public will be able to sign a book of condolences but should ex‐ pect to pass through security screening before being per‐ mitted into the Basilica.
Canadian Heritage offi‐ cials said that in lieu of flow‐ ers, those who wish to ex‐ press sympathy should con‐ sider making a donation to the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government at St. Francis Xavier University or to the Carrefour international Bri‐ an-Mulroney at Université Laval.