The Honourable Judith G. Seidman
Inquiry--Debate Continued
March 24, 2026
Honourable senators, I rise today with a heart full of love and nostalgia to pay tribute to a dear friend, a steadfast ally and a truly distinguished former colleague, the Honourable Judith Seidman. Having officially retired in September 2025, her absence from this chamber is a void that is felt every day.
Judith and I began our journeys as senators nearly 16 years ago, arriving just months apart in 2009. From those early days, we found in one another a kindred spirit. For years, we occupied adjacent offices and sat in close proximity here in the chamber. As I served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition and she as our opposition whip, our days were punctuated by whispered strategies and the heavy lifting of keeping the government accountable.
Beyond the logistics of leadership, Judith was my confidante. In the most turbulent of political storms, it was her calm, strategic mind and her steady friendship that made the toughest of times manageable.
Judith’s contributions to this institution were profound, but perhaps none were more vital or more difficult than her work as chair of the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators. She poured countless hours into this committee, navigating complex reports and sensitive deliberations with a deep sense of duty. Judith understood that the Ethics Committee does not just oversee rules; it guards the very reputation of the Senate of Canada. She took this responsibility with the utmost seriousness, knowing that the public’s trust in our institution rested upon the fairness and rigour of the committee’s work and her work as the committee chair.
Beyond her work on ethics, Judith brought the precision of her background as an epidemiologist and researcher to every debate. Of course, she served for years on the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology and contributed greatly to its studies and assessments of various bills.
Two of her many notable achievements included championing health and safety. She was the sponsor of Vanessa’s Law, a landmark piece of legislation that transformed drug safety in Canada. She was also a voice for the minority anglophone community of Quebec. She was their fierce advocate, ensuring their vitality and rights remained a priority on the federal stage.
In the quiet moments between votes, our conversations often drifted toward the people who truly ground us. I had the privilege of hearing about the joys of her life: her daughter and her grandson. To Judith, her family is her greatest achievement, and her devotion to them is a beautiful testament to the woman she is outside of this chamber.
In her parting remarks last fall, Judith spoke of the nobility of the Senate. She lived those words. While we are part of the Conservative family, Judith was respected by all sides of this chamber for her integrity and her ability to build consensus without ever sacrificing her principles.
Dearest Judith, please know that your legacy lives on in the Senate of Canada and beyond. I value our friendship more than words can express, and I look forward to our many conversations continuing long into the future. Thank you for your service to Quebec and Canada, and thank you for your wisdom and, most of all, for your beautiful friendship. Thank you.
Honourable senators, I also rise today to pay tribute to the Honourable Judith Seidman.
It was my privilege to serve alongside Senator Seidman on the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology from the time I joined the committee until her retirement in 2025. She was generous with her institutional knowledge, diligent in her insistence on data, pragmatic in her advice and always an example of what it means to serve with integrity. Senator Seidman often reminded us of the importance of Senate committee work, especially through studies and reports.
As a scientist in the Senate, she was at the table for some of the most consequential health debates of our time: medical assistance in dying, cannabis, pandemic oversight and, most recently, pharmacare. Through all of these, she insisted on rigour, she insisted on data and she reminded us that good public policy must be built on evidence, not just opinion. She also had foresight. Long before these issues reached the front pages, she sounded early warnings on vaping, advocated for improvements in long-term care and highlighted the looming crisis in aging and health human resources.
She was ahead of her time, asking questions and raising concerns that foreshadowed the challenges that Canada is facing today. For Senator Seidman, health was never just technical; it was always human. Her questions and her lens always came back to people, and she never let us lose sight of the human dimension at the heart of public policy.
Senator Seidman remains a mentor for me personally and a model for women in leadership. I recall first meeting her at a medical conference in Montreal in 2019. It was a conference for doctors. I was struck that not only was an epidemiologist attending a meeting on cardiovascular disease, but this particular epidemiologist was also a Canadian senator. I was awestruck. She is a powerful role model for those of us whose expertise intersects science and politics — spheres where women’s voices have historically been under-represented.
Colleagues, in honour of Senator Seidman’s legacy, may we keep data-driven decision making and the people impacted by those decisions at the centre of our work in this chamber. Senator Seidman, thank you for your leadership. We — and I especially — will miss you. On behalf of the Canadian Senators Group, we wish you all the best in your retirement from the Senate of Canada.
Honourable senators, the Honourable Judith Seidman was a thoughtful, whip‑smart, feisty and fierce parliamentarian. She had a big impact on this chamber, even though she was barely five feet tall in a tiny little package.
Judith and I were the first women to occupy the whip of the opposition and government liaison positions respectively at the same time in the history of the Senate. We might also be the first two people to hug it out in the centre of the chamber, walking down the aisle after a standing vote.
We were also whip and liaison during the pandemic, and what a time that was. Judith was the friend who always checked in and always asked how things were going, even when we were working from home for a short period of time. She would always text after a speech — and I know she did this for many of us — and she would say, “Good job. Great speech. Boy, that was an impactful speech.” She always thought about people, and I know I’m not the only person in the chamber who felt like I was her special friend. I think we all felt like we had a special relationship with Judith.
Senator Seidman and I spent a lot of time at the Usher of the Black Rod’s dais, waiting for the bells to stop ringing. Colleagues, for anybody who was there during a certain period of time, you know there were a lot of bells. While we were there, we had wide-ranging conversations. Most people don’t know that Judith and I almost convinced the Usher of the Black Rod to sing us down the aisle, and I almost convinced Judith to dance with me while he did that.
Colleagues, it was an honour to serve with Senator Seidman. I miss her every day. I kind of want to speak on behalf of former senator Marc Gold and maybe our Speaker as well, because we were all working together, and I just want to say what an awesome human Judith is.
Judith, I hope you’re having fun with your daughter. I hope you’re sleeping a lot. I hope you’re well rested. Please come and visit from time to time. Thank you.
