SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Forty-fifth Parliament

Honourable senators, what a privilege it is to be gathered here, welcoming 12 new colleagues, at the start of the Forty-fifth Parliament, some 157 years, 10 months, and 28 days after Canada was founded.

It is often said that each first day of a new adventure carries within it the potential for transformation, like an invitation to draw on the lessons of the past to build a different future together. To you, new senators — who have just taken your first steps in this chamber and who are inspired by a strong desire to serve our country — know that you are already instilling, through your presence, a new and renewed human energy. With your remarkable life experiences, you bring unique expertise in sectors such as education, the economy, ports, health, diplomacy, social service, women’s rights and sexual minorities’ rights.

Moreover, as Pride Month approaches, I would like to point out that the Senate now has seven senators from the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities — a historic first in the upper chamber.

That said, colleagues, regardless of your background or origins, the Senate group you have joined, or whether you decide to remain unaffiliated, you will always find that the Senate is a place ripe for collaboration. Of course, there will be some turbulence as you participate in vigorous, sometimes heated debates; however, you will discover that genuine, professional cooperation is possible among colleagues who share the same desire to serve the Canadian nation in good faith and to the best of their knowledge and abilities.

French writer Ernest Renan described a nation as:

 . . . having made great things together and wishing to make them again.

In the current geopolitical context, the Forty-fifth Parliament of Canada is called upon more than ever to make important decisions to ensure the political, economic and cultural sovereignty of our country and the protection and security of Canadians. As the chamber of sober second thought and the defender of minorities and regions, the Senate has a crucial role to play in this regard.

Thanks to the expertise of its members, its ability to rise above overly partisan debates and its capacity to act as a bulwark against the democratic excesses of the other place, there is no doubt that the upper chamber requires — more than ever — rigorous, effective governance and the unwavering commitment of all in fulfilling the mission of our democratic institution.

I will conclude by quoting the great Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, forty-third Speaker of the Senate, who said, and I quote:

As appointed parliamentarians, as Senators, we should treat each other with the same dignity and respect whether we sit with the Government, the Opposition, or as Independents. In this way, we can work better together in carrying out our shared responsibility of fulfilling the constitutional mandate of the Senate, to provide sober second thought in the important work we do here.

This is what I wish for us and for all Canadians, colleagues. Meegwetch.