After reading the British speech from the throne in London, the Queen flew across the Atlantic and landed in Saskatchewan at 4:30 p.m. local time.
A number of dignitaries were on hand to greet the 79-year-old monarch, including Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, Prime Minister Paul Martin and Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert.
The Queen's first stop in Regina was the First Nations University of Canada.
- INDEPTH: Royal visit diary
Her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, is accompanying her on the nine-day visit – the Queen's 21st official trip to Canada.
The pair went from the airport to the First Nations University of Canada for a welcoming ceremony.
The Queen reads the throne speech in the British House of Commons, Tuesday morning.
Four aboriginal war veterans carrying flags led the Queen into the facility, as a drum group sang an honour song. Part of the ceremony paid tribute to the country's First Nations veterans, including 9,000 of them who fought in the Second World War.
Later, the Queen was given a quilt, while Prince Philip received moccasins.
She presented the university with a stone, bearing the cipher of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria as well as her own, from Scotland's Balmoral Castle.
"It symbolizes the rights of First Nations peoples, reflected in treaties signed with the Crown during her reign," she said, adding that it is a "reminder of the special relationship between the sovereign and all First Nations peoples."
The Queen continued on to the Hotel Saskatchewan, where she is staying in the 1,500-square-foot royal suite during her time in Regina.
She met with the prime minister for a half-hour.
The Queen will be officially welcomed to Canada and the province in a ceremony at the legislature on Wednesday. Then she'll travel to the town of Lumsden for a luncheon and other festivities.
The Queen and Prince Philip will leave Saskatchewan for Alberta on Friday, spending five days there before their planned return to London on May 25.
Campaign talk swirls around visit
Martin will take part in events with the Queen before returning to Ottawa for a pair of budget votes Thursday that could lead to the fall of his minority Liberal government, a development that would plunge the country into a general election campaign.
- FROM MAY 11, 2005: Martin sets May 19 for budget vote
That scenario has been the subject of much debate among political and royal watchers.
The Queen does not travel to Commonwealth countries during election campaigns, but it is unclear whether she would cut her visit short if a campaign began while she was in Canada.
