In the main public statement during her 10-day visit to Canada, Queen Elizabeth thanked Canadians for a warm reception during her Golden Jubilee celebrations. "Wherever the future may take us, my admiration and affection for Canadians will remain clear, sure and strong."

Wearing a stunning tiara and a diamond necklace, the Queen thanked Canadians for their hospitality and lauded the progress she has witnessed on her many visits.

Citing the welcome she received in the new territory of Nunavut and dropping the puck at a Vancouver Canucks hockey game as highlights of this trip, the Queen talked about how much the country has changed since her first visit in 1951.

The Queen paid tribute to the land itself, as well as the Canadian people. "Here is the country's greatest resource ... I have seen how bilingualism and multiculturalism have become not just an aspiration but a reality -- not without difficulties, but with a determination to find particular Canadian solutions to the problems along the way."

"In recent years I have noticed and admired another constant -- the confidence and engagement of Canadians, both in this country and in the service of others around the world."

Her Majesty spoke at a gala dinner in her honour Sunday night, at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Que. There were 500 dignitaries in attendance, including Deputy Prime Minister John Manley, who was absent from ceremonies earlier in the day. Some had speculated that reaction to his anti-monarchy sentiments, expressed on first day of the Queen's visit, had led him to keep a lower profile during Ottawa events.

Prime Minister Jean Chretien offered a toast to the Queen, on her Jubilee Tour of Canada. "We hope you have fully felt our gratitude, our respect and our affection," Chretien said.

"You have used your position to help knit the countries and the peoples of the Commonwealth more closely together," he said.

Scattered showers, scattered protests

Earlier, outside the museum, about 50 anti-monarchy demonstrators carried Quebec fleur-de-lys flags,  and chanted "We want a country, not a monarchy," and "Queen go home."

There were similar, small protests throughout the day.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh started Sunday's itinerary with a Thanksgiving celebration on Parliament Hill.

As grey skies gave way to heavy rain, the royal couple sat on a large covered stage on the lawn of Parliament Hill, flanked by Chretien, his wife Aline, and other dignitaries. 

A representation of Canada's many faith groups sang and danced for the Queen as a large projection monitor displayed tranquil images of glass-smooth water, lush trees and other Canadian imagery. Performers included gospel singers and African dancers.

The Queen listened as Rohahes Iain Phillips of the Mohawk nation and Bishop Peter Coffin of Ottawa's Anglican diocese read lessons.

"Creator, we are bound by your providence with many peoples in a fellowship of a commonwealth of nations. Give us, we pray, such unity as may enable us to promote the peace of your creation and the glory of its creator," said Phillips.

The ceremony ended with a rendition of John Lennon's Imagine, sung in Hebrew, Arabic and English.

As the Queen left Parliament Hill, she stopped to chat with numerous veterans who had braved the rain and cold to catch a glimpse of their head of state.

One of those men was Ernest A. "Smokey" Smith, the last surviving recipient of the Victoria Cross. At the age of 88, Smith travelled to Ottawa from his home in British Columbia to attend the ceremony, despite suffering a cracked vertebrae in a recent fall.

"I think it was raining just as hard there," Smith joked to CTV, when asked to recall 1944, when he single-handedly fended off a platoon of German troops in Italy.

Paul Metivier, age 102 and a First World War veteran who fought at Vimy Ridge, said seeing the Queen brought back warm memories. "I was pleased to meet here again because I saw her a couple of years ago," Metivier said. "We exchanged a couple of words then, too."

After taking in the Thanksgiving celebration, the Royals stopped at the Centennial Flame before heading over to the nearby Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to lay a wreath. They also signed the Veterans Affairs visitor's book.

On Monday morning the Duke of Edinburgh will visit the Canada Aviation Museum, while the Queen will meet various dignitaries at the RCMP Equestrian Centre. They will be guests of honour at a luncheon at Rideau Hall, and later in the afternoon will attend a private reception for members of the Royal Commonwealth Society.

The Queen began her tour in Nunavut on Oct. 4, and returns home Tuesday.