THE SENATE — New Senators

Honourable senators, it is with great pleasure that I rise today on behalf of the Government Representative’s Office in the Senate to welcome the newly appointed senators.

Today, you are joining this hallowed chamber, where generations of distinguished Canadians have worked tirelessly for the good of the country, its regions and its people. Among those sitting here today, you will find senators with expertise in a wide range of fields, hailing from vast, and vastly diverse, regions of our country, yet united by the same dedication to serving Canada, a country that remains a bastion of liberal democracy within a rapidly changing world order.

Senators, a review of your distinguished careers prior to joining the Senate leaves no doubt as to your dedication to Canadians. Your professional lives offer compelling evidence of individuals committed to a lifetime of public service.

A chartered professional accountant and public service leader for over 30 years, Senator Tucker has worked across the government, private and non-profit sectors. In all of those sectors, she strengthened professional standards, governance and public trust, while advancing education, accountability and community well-being through extensive board service — for example, with United Way Winnipeg.

Senator Tucker, welcome to the Senate of Canada.

Senator Ouellette, your research has pushed the boundaries of oncology, and you made a point of returning to New Brunswick to expand access to health care services in regions that are often underserved. Deeply rooted in your community, you embody a key component of the Senate’s mandate: We care about our regions. Welcome, Senator Ouellette, to the Senate of Canada.

Senator Martel, you opted for a life of public service when you decided to run to represent the citizens of Chicoutimi. I congratulate you on having had the courage to seek the voters’ confidence. You will also be remembered for your dedication to junior hockey and the young hockey players you mentored for more than 20 years, both on the ice and as they navigated the ups and downs of young adulthood. Senator Martel, welcome to your new arena. If I remember correctly, the Prime Minister has no objection to you keeping your elbows up.

Senator Pitfield, let me begin by saying that your late father, Senator Michael Pitfield, would undoubtedly be proud to see you carry on his legacy here in the Senate of Canada. Your experience in politics and in the private sector, together with your expertise in the digital world and your understanding of the profound changes reshaping our society, will be invaluable assets to this institution. I am confident that your insights will enrich our debates and committee work.

Senator Pitfield, welcome to Canada’s upper chamber.

Honourable senators, it is my utmost pleasure to welcome you to the upper chamber.

Honourable senators, it is my pleasure to rise on behalf of the Conservative caucus to welcome four new colleagues to the Senate of Canada.

I want to sincerely congratulate each and every one of you for your appointments to this chamber, a place whose work matters deeply to all Canadians, a place of sober second thought, regional representation and careful scrutiny of the laws and policies that shape our country. We welcome you to the Senate, and we look forward to working with each of you.

Senator Ouellette, you come to us with an exemplary career devoted to cancer research, one that has made New Brunswickers proud to call you their own. As the founder of the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute, you put Atlantic Canada on the map in precision medicine. Your work on liquid biopsies has helped advance how we treat cancer — work rightfully recognized last year with your appointment to the Order of New Brunswick. I have no doubt that this experience will bring an important perspective to our discussions. Welcome to this august chamber.

Senator Tucker, you bring a career grounded in financial expertise, most recently as the president and CEO of CPA Manitoba, along with your service to your community as chair of the United Way Winnipeg and of the CPA Western School of Business. Those are skills with obvious relevance in this chamber, which spends a considerable amount of time on public finance.

Your appointment comes at a time when our Conservative caucus is missing one of the stalwarts in fiscal discipline, Senator Marshall, who retired recently. I’m just saying there is a nice pair of shoes that would fit you perfectly. Honourable colleagues, all joking aside, I have no doubt this chamber will benefit from your expertise. Welcome, Senator Tucker.

Senator Pitfield, it is a pleasure to welcome you to the Senate. You arrive with substantial experience at the centre of government and with an understanding of public service that is also part of your family’s history in this chamber, through your father’s distinguished service. I’m sure he would be very proud of your accomplishments, and I’m sure he will be watching carefully from where he is in terms of all your future work in this chamber.

I look forward to your contributions and to our deliberations, especially on areas touching upon business, technology, public policy and artificial intelligence. Welcome, Senator Pitfield.

Honourable senators, welcome and congratulations. You are worthy nominees, and we’re very happy to have each of you here — an addition of four great Canadians to this chamber. We look forward to the contributions each of you will make to this institution and to making our great country even greater.

Thank you and welcome.

Honourable senators, I would like to begin by welcoming everyone back to the Senate. I hope that you enjoyed the beautiful summer that we just had and that you are raring to go for the fall session, which promises to be particularly busy.

On behalf of the Independent Senators Group, I want to extend an especially warm welcome to all the new senators who are joining us. We want to congratulate you on your appointment, which is a testament to your remarkable careers and your commitment to serving our country.

Senator Martel, you come to us as a man who has deep roots in the Saguenay community and a strong background in education. You also spent eight years in the other place, serving as a member of Parliament from 2018 to 2026, and worked for many years as a coach in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Your ability to thrive in highly competitive environments, in both the hockey arena and the political arena, and your understanding of the challenges that communities are facing will certainly be a real asset to the Senate’s work. We are glad to have you with us. Welcome, Senator Martel.

Senator Ouellette, your numerous achievements in the field of medicine are a testament to your extraordinary leadership, determination and commitment. Throughout your career, you made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of research and innovation in oncology, particularly in precision medicine. You helped establish a cancer research centre in Moncton and develop world-class research capacity, proving the depth of your commitment to advancing knowledge and improving patient care. I believe that your scientific rigour, your innovative spirit and your impressive ability to rally key players around promising projects will be invaluable assets to the Senate’s work. Welcome, Senator Ouellette.

Senator Tucker, with a distinguished career in accounting, you bring to the Senate solid professional expertise and extensive experience in governance. The qualities you gained over the course of your impressive career as a chartered professional accountant, such as attention to detail, analytical skills and, of course, an aptitude for numbers, will undoubtedly enhance our work. Welcome to the Senate, dear colleague, and let me add that I look forward to speaking with you and all your colleagues in the language of Molière. Welcome, Senator Tucker.

Senator Pitfield, having forged a career at the intersection of politics, technology and entrepreneurship, you will undoubtedly bring an interesting perspective to the work of this chamber.

We are pleased to welcome to the Senate a seasoned political strategist whose experience and knowledge of constantly evolving sectors will help enrich our discussions and debates.

Your arrival in the Senate also comes at a unique juncture. We are navigating a profoundly uncertain international context, but we are also marking the tenth anniversary of the independent Senate this year.

Welcome to the Senate, Senator Pitfield.

Dear new colleagues, on behalf of the Independent Senators Group, I would like to extend our warmest welcome. We look forward to getting to know you better, learning about the perspectives you will bring to our work and collaborating with you to serve Canadians.

Thank you.

Honourable senators, I rise today on behalf of the Canadian Senators Group, or CSG, to welcome our new colleagues to the Senate of Canada.

Senator Ouellette, welcome to the Senate.

As a fellow physician who also found her way from medicine to the Senate, I am pleased to welcome you to this chamber. Medicine teaches us to listen carefully, ask difficult questions, follow the evidence and understand that complex problems rarely have simple answers.

While your career has given you plenty of experience with patients, I suspect you will find that life in the Senate occasionally requires the practice of a different kind of patience.

Medicine and parliamentary work have a lot in common: they both require listening skills, diligence, judgment and, of course, patience.

I look forward to working with you and to putting our collective experience at the service of Canadians.

Senator Tucker, welcome to the Senate.

Your career has taken you through many different roles, but service has been a constant throughout. Your work with diverse organizations, communities and people with different perspectives reflects your commitment to organizational leadership and will serve you well here in the Senate.

And as a Filipino Canadian, your full name, Sampageeta, has a special resonance for me. For those who may not know, the sampaguita is the much-loved national flower of the Philippines.

Your experience as a chartered professional accountant and your leadership at United Way Winnipeg and Chartered Professional Accountants of Manitoba mean that our province will have another strong voice in this chamber, and I look forward to working alongside you.

Senator Martel, welcome to the Senate.

You have a rather unique background involving education, professional hockey and public service in the other place. In each of those settings, you worked as part of a team, brought people together and demonstrated leadership, all qualities that will certainly come in handy in the Senate.

Senator Martel, even after all those years in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, I bet you never imagined that one day you’d become an “Ottawa Senator.”

I look forward to working with you and seeing what your very different background will bring to our work.

Senator Pitfield, welcome to the Senate.

You come to this chamber having spent much of your career at the intersection of technology, innovation and public policy and with a deep understanding of how government works from the inside. You have advised, shaped ideas and helped others navigate complex decisions. Now the seat is yours, the questions are yours to ask and the voice in the chamber will be your own.

At a time when AI and rapidly evolving technologies are challenging governments to think differently, your experience will add an important dimension to our work. We look forward to working alongside you.

In closing, on behalf of my CSG colleagues, welcome to the Senate of Canada.