Honourable senators, Diane, I can’t begin my speech without telling you that you may be the oldest today, since you might be looking at the number 75 as an economist, but as far as I am concerned, and I believe all your colleagues would agree, you’re nowhere near 75. Judging by your energy level, you’re closer to 50.

It is bittersweet for me to rise today to mark the retirement of Senator Bellemare, who was appointed to the Senate in 2012 by Prime Minister Harper.

Since her arrival in the Senate, Senator Bellemare has earned the respect of her peers through her enlightened speeches and the many years she dedicated to socio-economic issues and policies to support full employment as the foundation of our economy and an element of social justice. She never wavered from these principles, which reflect who she is and are at the heart of her professional life.

In March 2016, after much reflection, she joined me and Senators Wallace, Rivard, Demers and McCoy to step on the road to independence for the Senate and senators. It was certainly a very difficult time, particularly for Diane, as the Conservative caucus not only removed her from the committees on which she sat, but also tried to take away her office.

The fact is that 2016 is not exactly yesterday. Ongoing efforts were crucial to establishing a core group dedicated to independence so as to chart a course toward the future, where appointing independent senators would become the norm. Now, some eight years later, 80% of senators are independent, Diane.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Diane for her fortitude, which remains as strong and steady today as it was in 2016.

Active in all the forums on Senate modernization, she was always studying different chambers around the world to see if there were any options that could serve as inspiration for us.

You could say Diane has a soft spot for the crossbenchers model. I’m not a fan of this model quite yet, so the debate must continue.

Hats off to Diane for Bill S-244, which amends management and integrates social dialogue into the Employment Insurance Act. Well done, Diane. Public dialogue is at the heart of all your initiatives, and you have succeeded in enshrining it in this bill.

Diane, I wish you a happy retirement. I know very well that you are not the type to rest when there are still challenges to be met. I’ll always be here for you.

Honourable senators, it is with great pride and deep gratitude that I rise to say a few words of thanks to my dear colleague.

I don’t need to describe her career or embellish regarding her intelligence or contributions to this place, but I do need to publicly acknowledge the deep service she provided in establishing the Government Representative Office and beginning to provide the framework for how a less partisan, more independent Senate would work.

When I arrived in this chamber in April 2016, it was rather lonely sitting amidst all of the empty chairs as the Government Representative in the Senate. I was determined to seek out, for a team, somebody who had roots in a Conservative tradition and somebody who had roots in a Liberal tradition. That wasn’t as easy a task as I thought it would be, but it was made easier when I spoke with Diane and asked whether she would join me in this work. She said, “Well, I don’t really know the rules, but I’m an economist.” I was obviously attracted to the personality that you see here today and have come to know.

I am deeply blessed and feel thankful, Diane, because you took that gamble of reputation and circumstance.

I can’t tell you how lovely it was every morning, very early — though Diane was always a little late — to have coffee with Grant Mitchell and talk a little bit about what we could possibly expect over the course of the day. I think it’s important for those of you who have come in the last few years to be reminded that the institution we are today is not the one we were eight years ago. In large measure, the changes have their roots in the intellectual framework that Diane provided.

So I want to publicly acknowledge your contribution and your friendship. You’re the only seatmate I’ve had, and now I’ve got to get a second partner.

Thank you.

Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to an exceptional parliamentarian, a great Quebecer and a great Canadian, Senator Diane Bellemare.

As many of us have already pointed out, her exemplary career is a source of respect and inspiration. As someone who has always campaigned throughout my career to free women from imposter syndrome, I was very impressed, when I was appointed to the Senate, to sit near her in this chamber, with the Progressive Senate Group.

Whether in her career as a professor and renowned economist or in her passionate advocacy for social and institutional dialogue or still her promotion of the beautiful province we both represent, Quebec, Senator Diane Bellemare has always brilliantly defended her ideas and convictions.

I also remember Senator Bellemare’s great esteem for the role of parliamentarian, as she explained earlier, and the rigour and dedication she attaches to it. She once said the following, and I quote:

The Senate is an institution that has been underestimated, unloved and, at times, the object of much criticism. There are reasons for that, but we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

She added that our role is to make sure that bicameralism works well in Canada, and that Canadians can be proud of their Senate.

In my opinion, it is undeniable that Senator Bellemare has contributed to making our institution a source of pride for our constituents.

My dear Diane, you have been a true inspiration to me, and I feel privileged to have you as my friend and mentor forever.

After so many magnificent years of service to Canadians, it is high time that you took a well-deserved break with your better half, Victor, who must be looking forward to having you by his side even when the Senate is sitting. You will always be together.

I wish you the happiest retirement, and I look forward to sharing a meal with you at an African buffet in Montreal.

Dear Senator Bellemare, what can be said about you?

Those of us who knew you and worked with you in the unique institutional environment of a university are familiar with the special joys and challenges that such a privilege brings.

It may be poetically appropriate that Senator Bellemare, who spent her formative years in an academic setting, also spent the last few years of her career in another, equally special institution, the Senate of Canada. It gave her one more opportunity to share her expertise with a new, but older, batch of students.

Tell us, senator, which group of students was the best?

I have sometimes wondered where your empathy and capacity to respect multiple perspectives came from, but, of course, you are more than an academic; you are more than a senator. Your influence extended beyond these spheres. For example, you were instrumental in founding the Forum pour l’emploi, a non-profit association aimed at promoting employment by bringing together key decision makers from various sectors.

You are a connector, an innovator and, above all, a gentlewoman with a huge capacity for respect and inclusion. I know this because we are both proud mothers of beautiful, queer human beings.

Although you are undoubtedly a member of the ruling class in this chamber, you have genuinely tried to bring truth to the unrealized principle that all senators are equal by using your authority as the Chair of the Senate Rules Committee to address the issues directly.

Dear Diane, as senators we have the privilege to sit in this chamber for a considerable length of time. Longevity offers us the opportunity to follow subjects with greater consistency, comprehension and depth, to delve into the bigger picture and consider generational change as opposed to immediate pressures. It gives us the chance to dive deep and provides a stable counterpoint to the other place, where rapid change is often the norm.

It also provides us the incredible privilege, sometimes over the course of years and years, to deepen our relationships, to observe one another and witness the character, integrity and sincerity of our colleagues in word and in action.

It has been an honour to observe you in this way. These inevitable goodbyes are bittersweet. We are saying farewell to a grande dame.

Senator Bellemare, I will miss you. Thank you for being the person you are.