Queen Elizabeth left Canada on Tuesday afternoon after a nine-day tour that took her to Halifax, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Toronto and Waterloo, Ont.

The plane carrying Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip sits on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson International Aiport as dignitaries including Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean and Prime Minister Stephen Harper bid farewell to the royal couple. (CBC)The Queen, with her husband Prince Philip, flew from Toronto Pearson International Airport just after 1 p.m. ET, as Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other dignitaries looked on.

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh shook hands with Jean and Harper before climbing the stairs to the waiting Canadian Forces plane, then turned around and waved a final time before boarding.

They flew to New York City, where the Queen was scheduled to address the 192-member United Nations General Assembly for the first time since 1957. She also planned to view Ground Zero and visit a park honouring British citizens killed during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

After her departure, Harper said he was "delighted and honoured" to have welcomed the Queen to Canada.

"The royal tour gave Canadians, and Canadian youth in particular, an opportunity to reacquaint themselves with their traditions, history and institutions — core elements, one and all, of our Canadian identity," Harper said in a statement.

Visit to Queen's Park

On Tuesday morning, several thousand people waited in sweltering heat outside Ontario's legislature at Queen's Park in Toronto to bid farewell to the Queen.

The Queen greets people at Queen's Park at the end of her Canadian tour. (CBC)

The Queen and Prince Philip took part in a number of events there, culminating in an official departure ceremony that included a 21-gun salute on the front lawn.

The Queen unveiled a plaque commemorating the 150th anniversary of the dedication of Queen's Park by her great-grandfather, before he was crowned King Edward VII.

She greeted Jean, who had just returned from a trip to China, and Harper. Toronto Mayor David Miller and David Onley, Ontario's lieutenant-governor, were also on hand for the departure ceremony.

Crowds of eager onlookers cheered as the 84-year-old monarch toured the grounds and waved at the public.

Queen unfazed by blackout

On Monday, the Queen seemed unfazed by a massive power outage that rippled across Toronto.

Staff at the Royal York Hotel scrambled to light candles and install makeshift lamps — but before the state dinner, the power returned and the occasion went ahead as planned.

Shaylen Narotam, left, and McKina Bales, of Brampton, Ont., arrive at Queen's Park on Tuesday, hours ahead of Queen Elizabeth's expected appearance. (Cheryl Krawchuk/CBC News)

The Queen lauded Canadian values of freedom and fairness in a speech Monday night that also noted Canadian sacrifices in Afghanistan.

"In my lifetime, Canada's development as a nation has been remarkable," she said.

"This vast, rich and varied country has inspired its own and attracted many others by its adherence to certain values. Some are enshrined in law, but I should imagine just as many are simply found in the hearts of ordinary Canadians."

Harper presented the Queen with a display to be housed in the Hockey Hall of Fame, which includes pictures of the monarch attending a hockey game in Toronto in 1951 and dropping the puck in 2002 at a game in Vancouver.

The display includes a Canadian Olympic hockey jersey for the Queen, whom Harper called "Canada's most valuable player."

With files from The Canadian Press