How John Diefenbaker Planned His Funeral
It became the most elaborate funeral in Canadian history
John Diefenbaker was a man who knew how to build a public persona. From his earliest years trying to get elected in Saskatchewan in the 1920s and 1930s, he worked to build that Man of the People image.
When he was elected to Parliament in 1940, he continued to hone his craft and his speaking ability, with the help of his first wife Edna.
By the time he was elected as the Leader of the Progressive Conservatives in 1956, he knew exactly how to present himself to Canadians.
He was a man skilled with campaigning and knowing exactly how to appeal to voters.
That led him to become Prime Minister from 1957 to 1963.
He remained in Parliament until the day he died on Aug. 16, 1979 in Ottawa.
Thus began the funeral he had planned for himself. It became the most elaborate funeral in Canadian history.
Through consultation with the Secretary of State Department, he worked out the details.
His body would lay in state in the Parliamentary Hall of Honour for three full days.
It was then moved via a ceremonial parade to Christ Church Cathedral for an interfaith service.
Once that was completed, his casket and body were loaded onto an eight-car funeral train, along with 100 passengers, out into Saskatchewan.
As the train headed out west, it stopped at various places in scheduled and unscheduled stops so people could pay their respects to Diefenbaker.
At a spot overlooking the South Saskatchewan River, next to the Right Honourable John G. Diefenbaker Centre, the former prime minister was buried. Prime Minister Joe Clark gave the eulogy at the graveside service, joined by many dignitaries who had come west for the service.
During all of this, his casket had the Canadian flag on it but sitting overtop of that flag, partially obscuring it, was the Red Ensign. Diefenbaker had fought hard to keep the Red Ensign as Canada’s flag, and this was his last bit of disdain for the Maple Leaf Flag.
It was quite a send off for the man they called Dief the Chief.