SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Tributes

Honourable senators, I am honoured to deliver a tribute to Senator Raymonde Saint-Germain on behalf of the Independent Senators Group, or ISG.

Our journeys through the upper chamber track each other very closely. Together with seven others, we were the first cohort of senators appointed as independents under the arm’s-length, application-based process.

I start my tribute in this way because Senator Saint-Germain’s distinguished tenure in the upper house is marked by her dedication to a more independent Senate and by her success in making progress toward it. When we started out as facilitators of the ISG in 2017, our group had no formal status, no meaningful budget and no parity in the treatment of our leadership positions or that of the group.

Senator Saint-Germain fought these inequities with patience and determination. It was under her watch that the Parliament of Canada Act was finally amended to recognize non-partisan groups and their leadership teams.

However, it wasn’t only through the statute that she campaigned for change. Raymonde worked toward reform across the suite of Senate rules, practices and procedures, from the Rules Committee to the Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration and the Joint Interparliamentary Council. There is not a single significant change in Senate practice over the past decade she has not had a say in or influence over.

Not least, she was deeply involved in the evolution of the Independent Senators Group, from amendments to our charter to changes in the composition of the leadership team and the way in which decisions are made. Many of those changes remain in place, and I know our current facilitator, Senator Lucie Moncion, is grateful for the groundwork that was laid by her predecessor.

Raymonde was voted by her colleagues as Senator of the Year at the inaugural iPolitics’ Parliamentarian of the Year award in 2024. She is, of course, no stranger to awards, having received accolades for her work as Quebec’s Protecteur du citoyen, as a deputy minister for the Quebec government and as an advocate for psychiatric patients.

Senator Saint-Germain could have retired after her decades of public service in Quebec, but she chose, instead, to apply to become a senator. For that, we — and all Canadians — should be immensely grateful. You may recall that she even declined a big severance check from the Quebec government on the grounds that she was moving into a well-paid position in the federal Parliament. Such is the integrity of our honourable colleague.

Finally, I will share a few words about bilingualism. Raymonde was a staunch defender of French language rights, but she was generous with her anglophone colleagues who did not speak French. It helped, of course, that she was so fluent in English. One word that she used a lot in English was “pedagogical,” which always sounds so sophisticated. I have come to learn that the French equivalent has a different nuance even if the meaning is essentially the same. In an effort to sound more learned, I have decided to use that word more often in my speaking, and I will now for my closing.

Senator Saint-Germain is an inspiring leader and an excellent teacher whose educational approach encourages the members of her group to be independent. On behalf of the Independent Senators Group, or ISG, thank you, Raymonde. We wish you all the best in your next adventure.

Honourable senators, some people spend their career learning how these institutions work. Senator Saint-Germain spent hers wondering whether they worked as they should and, more importantly, who they worked for. That concern shaped her entire career, and it may be what best sums up her contribution as she prepares to leave this chamber.

Well before she arrived in the Senate, she brought this vision of public service to the highest echelons of the Quebec government. She served as Deputy Minister of Government Services, Deputy Minister of Relations with Citizens and Immigration, Assistant Deputy Minister of International Relations and Quebec Ombudsperson. That is where I met this woman, who would later become Senator Saint-Germain, for the first time.

She knows the government from the inside, including its rules, limitations and responsibilities, but she never lost sight of those on the outside: citizens who sometimes have very few means to assert their rights.

As ombudsperson, she had to listen, establish the facts and, where necessary, tell public authorities what they didn’t want to hear.

Fairness is easy to talk about. It’s not easy when it means reconsidering a decision, acknowledging a mistake or changing course.

That’s the kind of rigour she brought to the Senate in 2016, at a time when our institution was itself undergoing transformation.

As the Senate modernized and adapted to the changes initiated by former Prime Minister Trudeau, Senator Saint-Germain became one of those entrusted with ensuring a proper transformation. First as deputy facilitator and later as facilitator of the Independent Senators Group, she helped carve out a new form of leadership — less of a focus on top-down directives and more of a focus on persuasion, less about discipline and more about trust while leaving plenty of space for disagreement without allowing it to become divisive.

Senator Saint-Germain understood something essential: Independence is not the absence of responsibility. It demands more. It requires discernment, accountability and respect for the judgment of others.

That same sense of responsibility shaped her work on the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration and as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Resources. These may not be the Senate’s most visible files, but they go to the heart of institutional credibility. Are we prepared to hold ourselves to the standards we expect of others? It is a question that Senator Saint-Germain never stopped asking.

She is demanding, direct and well-prepared, and she expects others to be the same. Sloppy arguments rarely stand up to her scrutiny for long.

Underlying that rigour is a deep respect for public service fuelled by the simple conviction that, when an institution makes a decision that affects people’s lives, it must be able to explain that decision, defend it and take responsibility for it.

Senator Saint-Germain’s approach to public service has been recognized on several occasions. In 2016, Laval University awarded her its Medal of Honour. In 2024, as Senator Woo noted, her parliamentary colleagues named her Senator of the Year.

These honours matter, but there is another, perhaps more telling measure of a person’s impact: what she brings to those who work with her. Everyone knows that Senator Saint-Germain will ask the tough questions, spot shortcuts and, above all, take any issue that comes before us seriously.

On a more personal note, Senator Saint-Germain’s departure from the Senate today is, for me, the departure of a friend, an adviser and a mentor. She helped me in my early days here in the Senate and, as I took my first steps as government leader in the Senate, I benefited from her experience at the leaders’ table, whose members represent this institution so well. I will miss her very much, but I know she has many wonderful days ahead with her husband, Pierre, who is also a friend. I hope to stay in close contact with her so I can continue to benefit from her valuable advice for a long time to come.

Thank you, Raymonde.

Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to our colleague Senator Raymonde Saint-Germain.

You may be surprised to hear me try to speak a few words in French today, but I do so with the utmost respect for our colleague and friend Senator Saint-Germain.

One of the things I’ve most enjoyed about working with Raymonde has been our conversations about the French language. She always encouraged me to try a few words and phrases, even when I was content to rely exclusively on my most favourite French word enchantée. I suspect there were moments when she was a little exasperated by my limited French vocabulary and probably more so by my determination to keep using the same expression enchantée, even when it wasn’t applicable. But she never let it show. Instead, she responded with patience, kindness and good humour, whether explaining the proper use of bonne nuit or gently expanding my French horizons beyond enchantée.

These moments of learning and much laughter — at my own expense, I might add — were always a highlight, and they are memories I will cherish forever.

For those of you who may not know, enchantée means delighted, pleased or simply, “I’m very happy to meet you,” and I think it is a rather fitting word for Raymonde. She has a way of making people feel welcome and at ease. That same quality has been evident throughout her long career in public service and, of course, her years here with us in the Senate.

Raymonde comes to her retirement with quite an impressive record, with a long career in public service, including as the Quebec Public Protector — that sounds so impressive — and as a deputy minister. She has brought that experience to the Senate since 2016 through her committee work, her leadership within her group and her many parliamentary and interparliamentary responsibilities. I think it is fair to say that Raymonde has never been someone to sit quietly on the sidelines.

I am sure her family will be enchantée to have a little more of her now that she is leaving this chamber. On behalf of the Progressive Senate Group, Raymonde, it has been a pleasure to work alongside you, and I wish you all the best in the next chapter.

I wish you continued success, Raymonde. Most of all, I am delighted to have been your colleague.

Thank you.

Honourable senators, I rise today on behalf of the Canadian Senators Group to pay tribute to our colleague, Senator Raymonde Saint-Germain.

As we have heard today, Senator Saint-Germain’s retirement brings to a close a remarkable career in public service — one defined by a deep commitment to protecting the rights of Canadians and strengthening the public institutions that serve them.

In a 2018 interview with the Senate’s in-house magazine, Senator Saint-Germain was asked what she believed were the biggest public policy issues facing Canada. She highlighted the importance of looking beyond the short term — of balancing economic, environmental and social considerations, mitigating the negative effects of public policy and paying particular attention to Canada’s relationship with the United States. It is striking how relevant her answer remains today.

In that same interview, she was asked why more Canadians should care about what happens in the Senate. She spoke about our responsibility, first and foremost, to legislate — to carefully examine the bills before Parliament and consider how they will affect the people, organizations and businesses that will ultimately be subject to them.

Looking back now, her answer was more than a reflection on the role of the Senate. It describes remarkably well the approach she herself brought to her work throughout her tenure here.

Dear Raymonde, thank you for setting such an excellent example for those of us who follow in your footsteps.

As a new senator, I recall witnessing the careful thought that Senator Saint-Germain invested in the words she spoke in the Senate. She listened carefully, asked thought-provoking questions and always contributed a nuanced perspective to our discussions.

Those qualities — thoughtfulness, careful listening and a genuine respect for the work of this institution — have characterized her contribution to the Senate.

Raymonde, on behalf of my colleagues in the Canadian Senators Group, thank you for your service, your leadership and your contribution to this institution.

I hope this next chapter gives you more time for your family, your friends and all the things that matter to you most.

I wish you a very happy retirement. Thank you for everything, dear Raymonde.

Honourable senators, today, we are paying tribute to a truly amazing woman. I have only a few minutes to express both my sadness and my appreciation.

November may be the month when the days grow darker, but when Senator Saint-Germain joined the Senate on November 25, 2016, she quickly became a beacon of light in our quest to give the public a modern, adaptable and effective institution.

Her distinguished career as a public administrator in Quebec gave her insight into how Parliament works and what discussions need to be held in order to achieve results that, more often than not, are compromises, or steps on the way.

In March 2016, the Independent Senators Group was founded by myself and Senators McCoy, Demers, Wallace, Rivard and Bellemare. A few months later, we added several more members, allowing the Independent Senators Group, the first group without a partisan caucus, to be officially recognized in the Senate on December 2, 2016. Raymonde was part of that new cohort.

She was quick to appraise the situation and the modernization objectives. However, the real challenge was determining how to proceed. After a period of reflection, in September 2017, the ISG chose Senators Woo and Saint-Germain to steer our course, and a few years later, Senator Saint-Germain took over the reins as leader of our group. In short, Raymonde, you have been the cornerstone of our group’s success and of our institution’s independence.

Naturally, Raymonde and I were in agreement on what we wanted to achieve, but the “how” and “when” were a different story. We did get into some heated discussions, but she never shied away from confrontation. On the contrary, as a good leader, she absorbed it all, extracted the best points and forged ahead.

Raymonde, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your leadership, for your contribution to the modernization of the Senate, and for your friendship.

You are a class act.

You are a great lady. That has nothing to do with your size, of course.

Senator Saint-Germain, this is not the end of our conversations. Even though you have to retire from the Senate, I will always think of your 10 years here as a testament to your undeniable natural talents. You will always hold a special place in my heart.

Happy retirement, my friend. I look forward to hearing about your next chapter with your partner, Pierre, always at your side. With that new hip of his, he’ll be able to walk as fast as you.

Thank you, my friend. Enjoy the ride.

Honourable senators, speaking to mark a colleague’s retirement is always a very delicate matter, but when that colleague is also a friend, it’s an even greater challenge to do so succinctly.

When Raymonde is asked where her commitment comes from, she replies that it wasn’t a single specific event that shaped her, but rather a series of small acts of solidarity she experienced during her childhood. That answer perfectly sums up her philosophy that great careers are often built on deep human values rooted in everyday actions.

For example, as a young girl, she and her family prepared Christmas hampers and delivered them through the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. That experience gave her both the joy of helping others and a deep sense of injustice at the inequalities in our society.

We’re all familiar with her rigour. Raymonde chooses her words very carefully. When she speaks, we know that every word has been carefully considered and that every nuance matters. Her rigour has never been cold, and it is always accompanied by a willingness to listen, respect and kindness.

Raymonde can firmly defend a position, as she has demonstrated on many occasions, without ever belittling the person in front of her. This is undoubtedly one of the reasons why she has earned the respect of colleagues across the political spectrum, both inside and outside this chamber.

She crossed paths with some remarkable people throughout her career. In 1986, she accompanied Mother Teresa during her visit to Quebec. She was struck by her humility and quiet strength.

She also met Queen Elizabeth II on six occasions.

Dear Raymonde, your legacy is far more than a list of accomplishments. It is also a way of serving. You have shown us that independence and collaboration are not mutually exclusive, that high standards can go hand in hand with kindness, and that true authority resides less in the prestige of a position than in the trust one inspires. For my part, I would above all like to thank you for your friendship, your candour, your advice and all those times when your presence made our work not only smarter, but also more human.

Retirement will no doubt be a new chapter. I wish you happy times with Pierre and your family. May it include plenty of reading, time spent on the shores of your beloved St. Lawrence River, the occasional ice cream, like in the old days, and lots of oysters. I’ll even shuck some for you once in a while. Above all, I hope you take pleasure in reflecting on all that you have contributed to Quebec, to Canada, to the Senate and to everyone who has had the privilege of working alongside you.

Thank you, Raymonde, for your exceptional career. Thank you for your sense of duty. Thank you, quite simply, for always putting people at the heart of public service. Thank you and happy retirement, dear Raymonde.