Honourable senators, today I rise to recognize the impact of those teachers and coaches who have made a difference in the lives of their students through their encouragement, realistic, yet demanding expectations, and mentorship.

I imagine that many, if not all of us in this chamber can think back on our earlier lives and identify one or more of these ordinary Canadians who have done extraordinary things. I would even hazard to guess that many of us in this chamber owe a debt of gratitude for the advice, support and mentorship that we have received. Indeed, some might say that without that relationship in our early years we may have walked a different and perhaps less fruitful path.

We know that some of our honourable members are teachers by profession and they have taught young people at many different stages in their educational journey, especially in junior high and secondary school — that time of life when some of the most important influences on what a young person could be are present.

So I would like to signal my appreciation to Senators Cordy, Deacon and Martin, who have no doubt had substantial influence on the lives of young people.

This reflection was brought forward when I received an email out of the blue from the person who was my gym teacher and track coach in secondary school, Westdale Collegiate Institute, in Hamilton, Ontario.

Let me be clear: I may have been a star athlete in my own mind, but the reality is quite different than that fantasy. I did okay, but I would never have been confused with any of our country’s champions — a far distance from the world-leading athleticism of our own Senator Petitclerc.

The email came from Bob Chapman, one of my cherished teachers and a track coach. Our team was a small squad of pretty good runners that he would drive around much of Ontario for weekend track meets in his rusty old green Rambler. He would be at the school early in the morning to supervise strength training; made himself available at lunchtime if anyone needed to talk about anything; and spent every weekday evening for nine months, encompassing all the seasons of cross-country, indoor and outdoor track, putting us through our paces.

I will never forget his prescient observation, one that he would make quite frequently; so frequently, indeed, that it became a credo that many of my teammates and I kept with us for the rest of our lives. Just when we felt there was no more gas left in the tank, he would say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And we did.

So, Bob, to you and every other teacher and coach, thank you for being an ordinary Canadian who is doing extraordinary things and enriching so many lives.