Jason Kenney Flew To London To Pay Respects To The Queen & Is Waiting In A 14 Hour Long Line
The Alberta premier said he is working from the line.
Jason Kenney. Right: A photo of the waiting time to see the queen.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has flown to London to pay respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II and the line is over 14 hours long.
The premier shared some photos on Twitter of the queue of people looking to pay their respects to the monarch as she lies in state at Westminster Hall until her funeral on Monday, September 19.
In a tweet, Kenney said he had gone to pay his respects on behalf of Alberta and shared that the queue was over 14 hours long.
\u201cI\u2019m in London (entirely at personal expense) to pay respects to Her late Majesty the Queen at the lying in state on behalf of Alberta. \n\nNow a 14+ hr queue. There\u2019s a profound sense of shared grief & affection for HM in this huge, diverse gathering of people from around the world\u201d— Jason Kenney \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Jason Kenney \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1663351507
"There’s a profound sense of shared grief & affection for HM in this huge, diverse gathering of people from around the world," he said.
Kenney also added that the trip was "entirely at personal expense" and said he was doing briefings and taking work calls while he was in line.
\u201c2/ N.B. I\u2019m doing briefings & work calls from the queue, and will be back in Edmonton on Monday for Alberta\u2019s memorial service for our late Queen, who served as our head of state for well over half of Alberta\u2019s existence.\u201d— Jason Kenney \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Jason Kenney \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1663351507
The premier also said he would be back in Edmonton on Monday ahead of the memorial service at the Alberta Legislature to honour the queen.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced there would be a holiday for federal workers across Canada on Monday to coincide with the late monarch's funeral. It was left to individual provinces and territories to make their own decision as to whether to make it a statutory holiday.
Earlier this week, the Alberta Government said there would be a "provincial day of mourning" on Monday, but workplaces and schools would still be open.
Some Twitter users replied to Kenney's tweet and weren't exactly thrilled about the lack of holiday.
\u201c@jkenney So you get a day off but we don't.\u201d— Jason Kenney \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Jason Kenney \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1663351507