Honourable senators, today I pay tribute to a pioneer of Senate reform, the Honourable Frances Lankin, who, in eight and a half years, will have left an indelible mark on this institution, a lasting legacy.

Prior to her appointment in 2016, she already had led a successful and distinguished career. Her record of public and community service is nothing short of impressive. She’s an experienced parliamentarian — formidable, even — who sat at Queen’s Park both in the opposition and in the government as a key minister.

Thanks to her staffer Rose Désilets, who describes Senator Lankin as the best boss she ever had, I dug up this statement from 2008, which seems to be a good representation of her motto:

Not all problems can be fixed by politics alone . . . but very few problems can be fixed without engagement and involvement into politics.

And she helped resolve many a problem in the Senate, armed with her determination and devotion, both as unwavering as they are inspiring.

From a legislative perspective, our country’s women and girls owe Senator Lankin a debt of gratitude for making our national anthem more neutral and inclusive, thanks to her astute sponsoring, in terms of both content and procedure, of Bill C-210, An Act to amend the National Anthem Act (gender).

Her unrelenting efforts to eliminate gender-based discrimination and to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples led to the adoption of Bill S-3, An Act to amend the Indian Act in response to the Superior Court of Quebec decision in Descheneaux c. Canada (Procureur général). Her efforts to add the consideration of psychiatric and mental problems in pre‑sentence reports and evaluations led to amendments to the Criminal Code through the adoption of Bill C-375, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (presentence report).

She always rose to defend workers when power relations were uneven. Her strong and assertive remarks during two forced back-to-work legislation debates still resonate today.

Let me quote from her speech on Bill C-58, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code and the Canada Industrial Relations Board Regulations, 2012, earlier this year:

. . . the trade union movement has seen — and their members, workforces, families and communities have felt — the effect of this imbalance in the labour relations situation for many years. . . . I hope you feel the weight of the history of the vote we are about to take, and what it means for working women and men, families and the future of labour relations in this country. . . .

A master of parliamentary rules and principles, Frances built relationships with members of all caucuses and groups and worked toward Senate modernization, one of the reasons she joined this chamber. Every senator from the Independent Senators Group, or ISG, and particularly the members of the facilitation team throughout the years, owe her an enormous debt.

She was always a wise mentor and a strong ally to her parliamentary family. Unprompted, often behind the scenes, she never hesitated to offer her colleagues sage advice to prevent them from making a blunder or to help them fix one.

Today, we also bid farewell to a very compassionate colleague who, when facing life’s challenges, showed and continues to show courage and wisdom.

Dear Frances, on behalf of your entire Independent Senators Group, or ISG, family, I express our gratitude and wish you the very best for your next chapter. This is only goodbye.

Honourable senators, my dear Frances: Senator Lankin was one of the first senators to be appointed by Prime Minister Trudeau back in March 2016 after a fulsome and distinguished career, as Senator Saint-Germain mentioned — a lifetime of public advocacy on behalf of working people, the rights of women and the neglected.

As a senator, she has distinguished herself in many ways. I won’t repeat them, except to underline that she has also been a member of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, or NSICOP, since its inception, building on previous work in this area before she joined us. Most recently, she lent herself to our team in the Government Representative Office, or GRO, for a limited period to help spearhead very overdue and much-needed reforms in the Senate.

In all of this, and in your many other rarely scripted interventions in the chamber — and I’m trying to honour you by not reading a speech today, but I’m being timed — your interventions were always thoughtful, pertinent and to the point. In my humble opinion, you have been a model of what it is to be an independent-minded senator in a Senate that aspires to be less partisan and to be independent from interference from the political centre.

In that regard, you have been a model to me too. You have shown respect for the importance of our work in the Senate and the value that we can and do add to the legislative process when we apply ourselves to the serious study of legislation. You have understood and helped us understand that this is a very important role, but it’s a modest one because we must take into account our constitutional role as an unelected chamber that is complementary to the elected house.

You and I have not always agreed on matters of policy, but with regard to our fundamental values and where we stand in terms of the work we do on behalf of Canadians, I couldn’t feel more aligned with you. I don’t want to embarrass you, but you’ve been a mentor to me — without me asking because I wasn’t smart enough to ask. You led by example from the very first day that I joined the ISG — we were a small group in those days, with many of you still in the chamber — and for the days leading up to me assuming this role as Government Representative. Throughout, you have helped me better understand than I would have on my own what it is to model the behaviour of a Government Representative in this place.

I see that my time has run out. You’re an example of the nobility of politics when it is practised with integrity and respect. You never hesitate to call out behaviour that is not respectful, and I admire you for that. You’ve been a great friend to me and my dear wife, Nancy. We are going to miss you enormously, Frances. Thank you.

Honourable senators, I also rise today to pay tribute to Senator Frances Lankin.

As has already been stated, Senator Lankin was appointed by the Prime Minister on March 18, 2016, to serve in the Senate. Prior to being appointed to the upper chamber, Frances Lankin served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for 11 years, where she held various cabinet roles in the Bob Rae government and in opposition. Her dedication to public service spans more than 30 years.

Colleagues — and I know Frances — I doubt that any of you will be surprised by me stating that Senator Lankin and I have rarely seen eye to eye on political matters. Ideologically, we were adversaries. However, over the years in this chamber, I have truly come to appreciate Frances Lankin. I even believe that we are very similar in certain respects: We are always up for a challenge and we both like a good political debate. Simply put, we like a good, respectful fight of ideas.

A prime example is that Senator Lankin has been a fierce advocate of Trudeau’s so-called “. . . more independent and non-partisan Senate.” I, on the other hand, have raised questions and concerns about it. Colleagues, I believe that by debating various perspectives and opposite ideas, we create a healthy, democratic process, which makes the Senate a better place.

I also believe Senator Lankin wanted me to make these remarks today because, in her retirement announcement email, she wrote that she intended on “. . . leaving quietly unless a certain friend really, really provokes me.” Colleagues, Senator Lankin is not a quiet person in this chamber, and so I had no choice but to lay the groundwork to ensure that we get one last good brawl in this chamber.

Senator Lankin, your friendship will be missed. Our conversations over a good glass of whisky will be missed. Lastly, your so-called non-partisanship will be missed, especially when we debate government legislation where you have held a strong and thoughtful presence by asking questions and making impromptu speeches.

Friendship should never be based on whether we agree or don’t agree. Frances Lankin, I truly call you a friend. I know that the last few years have been difficult for you. As such, we all understand and respect your desire to start a new chapter, and we wish you the very best. Please know that a good political brawl is just a phone call away. Happy retirement.

Honourable senators, I rise to pay tribute to a force of nature in our chamber and a true champion of the independent Senate reform: Senator Lankin.

In 2016, Frances became one of the first seven senators appointed in the independent era. She has been an exceptional senator, contributing leadership on many subjects, including labour relations, gender equality and use of the Senate Rules to overcome filibusters.

Senator Lankin is a fantastic orator — worthy of the Roman Senate — more often than not speaking off-the-cuff without notes. She is also an example to anyone who believes politics should be about doing something, not being something. This is evident in her achievements as the sponsor of historic legislation. I will highlight two such bills.

In 2016, Senator Lankin sponsored government Bill S-3, addressing historic gender discrimination in status under the Indian Act. However, Senators Dyck, Sinclair, McPhedran and others recognized that the changes didn’t go far enough. How could the Senate of Canada in good conscience eliminate some gender discrimination, but not all? As sponsor, Senator Lankin was responsive and determined to do the right thing, setting the tone for the role of independent sponsors of government bills going forward.

The collaborative result was that, in 2017, a much-amended Bill S-3 became law, eventually eliminating all historic gender discrimination under the Indian Act. This success was one of the early landmark legislative achievements for the Senate’s independent era, also signalling our chamber’s increasing role in advancing reconciliation and gender equality.

During that same Parliament, Senator Lankin successfully sponsored Bill C-210, which was the late MP Mauril Bélanger’s private member’s bill proposing a gender-neutral national anthem. Working with Senator Petitclerc, she used the Rules in an innovative way to overcome an 18-month opposition filibuster of that House of Commons bill. The result was that, since 2018, our anthem has stated, “True patriot love in all of us command.”

One takeaway is that for senators whose bills may be facing issues in this chamber, don’t take Senator Lankin off your speed-dial.

This year, she also moonlighted in the Government Representative Office, or GRO, to lead the entrenchment of the independent Senate reform in our Rules — a landmark achievement in parliamentary history.

Senator Lankin, your wisdom, your voice and your determination will be missed in this chamber, where you leave an incredible legacy. We wish you all the very best in your next chapter.