Honourable senators, I would like to pay tribute to another outstanding parliamentarian in honour of Black History Month. It is someone I and a few others still here today had the privilege of serving with in this august chamber. I’m speaking about our former colleague the Honourable Donald Oliver, the first Black man appointed to the Senate of Canada. A finer gentleman than Don Oliver you will not meet.

Descended from Black refugees who fled to Canada from the U.S. during the War of 1812, Oliver is a proud Nova Scotian by birth and upbringing. Earning his law degree from Dalhousie University, he was called to the bar in 1965. He was a highly respected lawyer in Halifax, practising for 36 years, becoming a partner and receiving the title of Queen’s Counsel. He also taught at his beloved alma mater, Dalhousie Law School, now the Schulich School of Law, among others.

Yet, he still found time to be involved in politics — and not just on the fringes, colleagues. Don Oliver was a long-time and steadfast activist in the Conservative movement in Canada. He served as the party’s director of legal affairs through six federal elections from 1972 to 1988, and also served as the federal vice‑president of the party and as director of its fundraising wing, the PC Canada Fund. Senator Oliver also served for years as a constitution chairman and member of the finance committee for the Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia and as a former vice-president of that party.

Throughout his life, Don has remained active in service to his community, including, but not limited to, presiding over the Children’s Aid Foundation of Halifax, as founding director of the Black United Front and as founding president and first chairman of the Society for the Protection and Preservation of Black Culture in Nova Scotia.

Appointed to the Senate in 1990 by the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, he represented the people of Nova Scotia and served this institution and country with distinction for 23 years. This included his work on many committees, as speaker pro tempore, as a joint chair of the Special Joint Committee on a Code of Conduct for parliamentarians and on a bill to amend the Criminal Code to deal with stalking.

I think we would be remiss to close out this month without acknowledging that it was Senator Oliver who introduced the Motion to Recognize Contributions of Black Canadians and February as Black History Month. That motion was adopted with unanimous support on March 4, 2008, completing Canada’s parliamentary position on Black History Month.

We would also be remiss, colleagues, if we didn’t pay some tribute and respect to three great Canadian prime ministers who themselves were leaders and cutting edge at a time when it wasn’t easy. Prime minister Joe Clark named the first Black man a cabinet minister — Lincoln Alexander. The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney named the first Black man to the Senate of Canada, Senator Don Oliver, to whom I’m paying tribute today. John G. Diefenbaker, the great Conservative prime minister, in 1961, at a Commonwealth meeting in London, set the stage for fighting apartheid and really launched a campaign that Canada and successive prime ministers carried on with enthusiasm and success, which culminated with the ending of apartheid.

I pay homage and tribute today to all of those who contributed to making Black people a fair part of this great country and society.

Thank you very much, colleagues.