page_title: Royal tours of Canada by the Canadian Royal Family
section_title: 1910s
hierarchical_section_title: Royal tours of Canada by the Canadian Royal Family / Early 20th century (1901–1950) / 1910s
caption_attribution_description: English: Postcard of the visit of the Governor General of Canada - Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn - to the Valcartier military base near Quebec City.
context_page_description: Royal tours of Canada by the Canadian Royal Family have been taking place since 1786, and continue into the 21st century, either as an official tour, a working tour, a vacation, or a period of military service by a member of the royal family. Originally, official tours were events predominantly for Canadians to see and possibly meet members of their Canadian Royal Family, with the associated patriotic pomp and spectacle. However, nearing the end of the 20th century, such occasions took on the added dimension of a theme; for instance, the 2005 tour of Saskatchewan and Alberta by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was deemed to be a vehicle for the Queen and Canadians to honour "The Spirit of Nation Builders." The couple's tour in 2010 was themed "Honouring the Canadian Record of Service— Past, Present and Future." Official royal tours have always been vested with civic importance, providing a regionalised country with a common thread of loyalty.
  The first member of the royal family to visit Canada was the future King William IV, who arrived on the country's east coast in 1786 while an officer in the Royal Navy.
context_section_description: From 1911 to 1916, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn served as Canada's Governor General, with the Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn serving as his viceregal consort. The Duke was the first member of the royal family to serve the office of Governor General of Canada. Originally his appointment was for only two-years, although at the request of Robert Borden, the Prime Minister of Canada, his tenure would later be extended to five-years.  The Duke, Duchess, and their daughter, Princess Patricia of Connaught, arrived in Quebec City on 13 October 1911 and was later sworn into office at the Parliament of Quebec. Several weeks after being sworn in, he presided over the opening of the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa. 
  The Duke and Duchess conducted his first tour as Governor General in 1911, proceeding to Toronto, Hamilton, Kingston, and finally Montreal on 27 November 1911. Further tours with the Duke, and Princess Patricia, were undertaken in May 1912, to Winnipeg, and the Maritimes.  On 28 August 1912, the Duke, Duchess, and their daughter conducted a tour of the west, visiting Sault Ste. Marie, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Edmonton, Calgary, Banff, Vancouver, Prince Rupert, and Victoria, where they inspected personnel of the Royal Canadian Navy at Esquimalt Royal Navy Dockyard. They then proceeded towards Medicine Hat, Regina, and Brandon, before concluding their tour in Toronto and Ottawa.
  While serving as the Governor General, the Duke inaugurated the Saskatchewan Legislative Building, and laid the cornerstone for the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Regina, and for the new Provincial Library at the British Columbia Parliament Buildings. The Duke returned to Banff on two occasions, in August 1914, and May 1916.   In addition to Canada, he also visited Newfoundland, a separate dominion of the British Empire in 1914.
  In 1913, Prince Albert (later George VI) conducted his first royal tour of the Canada, as well as Newfoundland, while serving aboard the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Cumberland.
  In January 1913, the Duchess was hospitalized as a result of her declining health, with the viceregal family returning to London, UK, in March 1913. During this period, the Duke, continuing to serve as Governor General, received regular correspondences from Borden through telegraph. After the Duchess recovered, the family returned to Canada in October 1913. During World War I, the Duke was involved in recruitment, and raising the morale of soldiers. Princess Patricia worked for the Canadian Red Cross, and continued working for a Canadian hospital in Orpington, UK, after her father's term as Governor General ended in 1916. Several months after Centre Block on Parliament Hill was ravaged by a fire, the Duke laid the memorial cornerstone for its replacement on 1 September 1916. The Duke's tenure as Governor General ended on 16 October 1916.
caption: Prince Arthur visits Valcartier base as the Governor General in 1914. He served the position from 1911 to 1916.
exif: {}