Honourable senators, if you Google the name “Dennis Patterson,” here are the results you get: lawyer, senator, former premier, neuroscientist, NHL defenceman, musician and a Hollywood movie writer. Dennis, I believe that you have been holding out on us regarding some of your credentials.

With all seriousness, I am honoured to pay tribute to my departing Canadian Senators Group colleague, the former deputy leader, a strong advocate for Nunavut and my friend, Senator Dennis Patterson. Dennis arrived here back in 2009, which is five Parliaments ago. Before his summoning to the Senate, he began his career as a lawyer and was the founding executive director of the Legal Services Centre in Iqaluit.

In 1979, he was elected as an MLA in the Northwest Territories. During his 16 years as a member of the Legislative Assembly, he served in many capacities including Minister of Education, Minister of Health and Social Services and Minister of Justice, culminating in his service as premier between 1987 and 1991.

In 1982, Senator Patterson was part of a delegation which lobbied to have section 35 reinstated in the Constitution after it was eliminated by a late-night meeting of nine premiers. He also participated in the Meech Lake constitutional rounds. Senator Patterson played a key role in the final Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and served as a leader of the more than 20-year campaign that led to the establishment of Nunavut as Canada’s newest territory in 1999. His involvement in these events makes Dennis a modern-day father of Confederation.

During his long time in the Senate, he chaired the Aboriginal Peoples Committee, as it was then known, and the Special Arctic Committee. I believe that his crowning achievement was the report on the Arctic entitled Northern Lights: A Wake-Up Call for the Future of Canada. He was blunt in his message in the report, which was that “the North IS the future of Canada in countless ways.”

While he was born in British Columbia, his heart and soul belong to Canada’s North.

I was most fortunate to work closely with Dennis over the last few years, and I have appreciated his sound counsel and his views on the role of the Senate and the sound management of the Canadian Senators Group. I will miss his scroll meeting debriefs, which were always detailed — really, really detailed. My colleagues can attest to this fact.

When Dennis was appointed to the Senate, he was told by the Premier of Nunavut that the Inuktitut interpretation of “senator” is ittuk, which means “an old man.” He told the premier that the title did not apply to him at that time, since he did not feel old yet. Dennis, I don’t believe anything has changed in this regard as we learn of your future plans.

Dennis, you will be sorely missed. However, our loss is your family’s gain. We are sure that Evelyn will appreciate having you around much more. We wish Dennis a very happy retirement.

Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to and to thank Senator Dennis Glen Patterson for his years of service in this chamber, to this chamber on behalf of his beloved Nunavut.

Senator Patterson, as we know, has devoted his entire adult life to public service. He was first elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly in the Northwest Territories in 1978 at the young age of 29. He went on to serve as Minister of Education, Minister of Justice, Minister of Municipal Affairs and, finally, he was chosen as the fifth premier of the territory in 1987.

As we have heard and as we know, Senator Patterson was pivotal in the settlement of two historic land claims, including the Inuit land claim that led to the creation of Nunavut in 1999. Father of Confederation, indeed.

Senator Patterson was appointed to the Senate on the advice of prime minister Stephen Harper in 2009. During his 14-plus years here, he has been a member of many committees — most recently the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources as well as being a long‑standing member of the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples. His interventions both in committee and here in the chamber leave no doubt as to his passion for and his commitment to the people of Nunavut.

As Senator Tannas noted, as Chair of the Special Committee on the Arctic, he and the committee members authored a seminal report entitled Northern Lights: A Wake-Up Call for the Future of Canada. This report should be required reading for anyone who cares about Canada’s environment and how our North is fundamental to our national identity.

In a recent media interview, reflecting on his years in the Senate, Senator Patterson gave this advice to anyone choosing to apply to succeed him in this chamber. He stated — so you all should listen:

Speak up. You have a duty to make your voice heard. We’re the largest region with the greatest challenges . . . be strong, be loud, be aggressive, and you’ll make things happen.

Dennis, you definitely practised what you preached. Aggressive — I’ll give you a pass on that one, but you were forceful and in the best sense of that word. You have made Nunavut proud, and you have served this chamber very well.

We in the Government Representative Office wish you all the very best. I hope and expect that the next chapter of your life is as exciting and as meaningful to you as the previous chapters have been to us. We’re going to miss you. Thank you.

Honourable senators, I rise today on behalf of the opposition Conservative caucus to pay tribute to our colleague and friend Senator Dennis Glen Patterson as he prepares for his retirement from the Senate of Canada on December 30, 2023.

Senator Patterson is a trailblazer, shining a light on the challenges faced in the North and the need for better resources to ensure all Canadians have fair and equal opportunities. I commend Senator Patterson for his dedication, his knowledge and his passion for many issues and the people of the North.

Prior to his appointment to the Senate, Senator Patterson was a Premier of the Northwest Territories, along with all the other professional titles he holds, which Senator Tannas listed. He served 16 years as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in the Northwest Territories, from Minister of Education, to Minister of Health and Social Services and Minister of Justice. He was also influential in the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, the final Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and the campaign that led to the establishment of Nunavut as Canada’s newest territory. It was this proud legacy of public service in the North that he brought to the Senate.

Senator Patterson has been a valuable member of several committees over the years — the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples, which he chaired during the Forty-first Parliament; Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources; Legal and Constitutional Affairs; and the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency. He has also contributed to studies of numerous bills and many important subject matters.

Of special note, Senator Patterson also chaired the Special Senate Committee on the Arctic, which looked at significant and rapid changes to the Arctic and impacts on original inhabitants. He was instrumental in the completion of the final report, entitled Northern Lights: A wake-up call for the future of Canada.

Through his range of experiences and expertise, he brought wholesome debate both in the chamber and at committees. As a senator of Nunavut, he has advocated tirelessly for the rights of people in the North and celebrated the history and culture of Canadians living in Nunavut.

Senator Patterson, thank you for your 14-plus years of service and valuable contributions to the Senate of Canada. I would also like to acknowledge your family and thank them for their unwavering support and sacrifice.

Honourable senators, I ask you to join me in wishing our colleague all the best as he leaves our chamber soon and embarks on his next adventure.

Honourable senators, today I am speaking on behalf of the Independent Senators Group, or ISG; Senator Patterson, that feels fitting. We were both executive directors of legal aid clinics, members of the Transportation and Communications Committee and the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee and scroll managers for our groups. Even though you’ve handed the reins to Patterson number two, this is a tribute from one deputy to another.

Senator Patterson, you were one of the first senators to speak to me after a chamber sitting early in my tenure. You spoke of our common background in legal aid work. I was so flattered that you had paid close attention to my biography and the welcome speeches. I didn’t know it at the time, but the kindness and warmth that you shared then are just who you are. You staunchly represent your region, you’re a great communicator about the people and place that you represent and your devotion to the North is so clearly at the forefront of everything that you do. I also want to thank your family for sharing you with us these past 14 years.

Legal Services Centre, Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik Society, started as a pilot project with a little budget and a small office in Iqaluit. On the fortieth anniversary of the centre, you gave a keynote speech describing a legal landscape where:

Lawyers never got a chance to know their clients, let alone their families and the communities in which they lived. And then they were gone . . . .

As founding executive director, the legal aid clinic was a response to this type of “fly-in and fly-out justice.” This ambitious vision has now evolved into “. . . an envied model for providing justice for marginalized people.”

At the Transport and Communications Committee, you recently brought forward Bill S-242. As it turns out, discussing the deployment of broadband spectrum brings out the true wonks in the group. You inspired the rest of us to dig into this fascinating topic, but also to make connections to our own regions where the bill could improve the lives of other Canadians.

For many senators here, our relationship with our staff, especially the ones who are with us for a long time, is a special one. Often, they know us better than anyone else does — and better than we’d like them to. Given this, I wanted to close this speech with two things from Ms. Claudine Santos. First, when I asked her about your serious dance moves from the Christmas party last year, she outed you by telling me that you were having so much fun that you missed a committee meeting. Second, and more serious, she told me this:

It has been one of the greatest privileges and honours of my life to work with and learn from Senator Patterson. I have developed a love of the North from him that I will carry with me forever. I am happy that he gets to retire after a life of public service but sad that future generations of Canadians will not be able to benefit directly from his wisdom. I am excited to sleep more but sad to lose my mentor and partner in crime. That said, I will eat a bowl of cereal at midnight in his honour from time to time and think back on the late nights spent debriefing on the day or reliving some of the stories from our many travels. Whenever I am down, I will stop and breathe and remember how lucky I have been, and continue to be, to be able to count Dennis Patterson amongst my friends from here on out.

Senator Patterson, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, and on behalf of the ISG, qujannamiik and nia:wen.

Honourable senators, I rise today on behalf of the Progressive Senate Group, or PSG, to pay tribute to Senator Patterson. My tribute will be in the form of an imaginary award presentation. I wish to present Senator Patterson with an Unsung Hero Award from the Black community of Nunavut.

For context, in 2021, I was invited to travel to Nunavut by the President of the Nunavut Black History Society to be presented with a lifetime achievement award and to attend their Black History Month event. But, as we know, COVID-19 and life circumstances intervened, and I was not able to attend. However, media speculation about my planned trip to Nunavut had already taken place.

After seeing an article one evening, Senator Patterson called me to ask about my upcoming trip to Nunavut and inquired about where I had learned to breakdance. That newspaper got their facts mixed up and reported that I was going to Nunavut, funded by the federal government, to perform breakdancing as well as other talents at their Black History Month event. Colleagues, we both enjoyed a hearty laugh. As Stephanie Bernard — no relation to me — President of the Nunavut Black History Society shared:

Senator Patterson has been fully engaged with the Black community in Nunavut for over 10 years. We salute Senator Patterson for his heart for the community. He will be sorely missed as a senator of Nunavut. Our gratitude and love for him and his leadership will, however, constantly remain in our hearts.

Tanika Simmons says, “He is a true ally, and not just during Black History Month.”

Senator Patterson has been a great source of support for the Black community in Nunavut through his passion for representing and supporting all people in Nunavut. So today, it is my distinct pleasure to present you with this Unsung Hero Award from the Black community of Nunavut. On their behalf, I thank you for your years of dedicated service, support and commitment to the community.

Should you become bored during retirement, remember that breakdancing is now an Olympic sport. Asante. Thank you.

How can I top that, Senator Bernard?

Honourable colleagues, I rise today to pay tribute to a trusted colleague and good friend. Senator Dennis Patterson has served almost 15 years in this chamber, 11 of those with me, during which I got to know him. He was a steady hand on whatever file he had. In this chamber, he served the North and all of Canada with distinction, and I’ll note a shared interest in Canada’s sealing industry, of which he continues to be a tireless advocate.

He brought a knowledgeable and principled approach to much of the work done here in the Senate, both in the chamber and at committees. I concur with Senator Tannas’s comment regarding Senator Patterson’s scroll style — “tenacious” would be another way to put it.

Senator, I am grateful for your service to the Senate and to our nation. I wish you the best in your retirement.

Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute and give thanks to my dear northern colleague, Senator Dennis Patterson.

In 1987, when he served as Government Leader, there were only two territories, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. He and the Yukon Government Leader, Tony Penikett, sought to join the provincial premiers at the First Ministers’ conference. How he and Tony were received is a story best left for Dennis to tell. What I am certain of is that Dennis paved the way for me a few years later to adopt the term Premier rather than Government Leader, much to Ottawa’s raised eyebrows. It was Dennis’ trailblazing that led the way for those of us who came after to take a seat at the First Ministers Conference, now the Council of the Federation, as true northern partners.

Honourable senators, we may not always agree, we do not always wear the same colour of tie, or some of us, not even a tie at all. We are family, though, and we stand up for each other just like families do. It was that sense of northern family and sticking together that enabled three northern premiers, after Dennis and I, to walk out of meetings with the Prime Minister in Ottawa over health care funding for the North in 2003.

Representing the North is a tough job at the best of times. It is incredibly challenging to represent a vast geographic area thousands of miles away with small and scattered communities. We have both been door-knocking in small communities where we get told what our constituents really think — face to face — with the straightforward language you find in the North. Most days, if not always, there was at least one dog at every doorstep, its bark often the friendliest voice you’d hear that day.

Honourable senators, like me, Dennis got elected as an MLA in his territory’s legislature, then the Northwest Territories. Dennis was quoted recently as saying upon his election as an MLA, the elders advised him:

. . . we will support you to run for election. But remember, you are not the leader, we are the leaders. We’ll tell you what to do. We’re supporting you because we think you know how to work the system, but don’t ever forget we are the leaders.

Dennis Patterson has reflected that advice and has been the voice of Nunavut from the very beginning when he was part of the creation of the territory. His voice has been steadfast and unwavering. He knows the region, its peoples and he has a unique ability to speak with their voices to ensure their views are truly heard in the nation’s capital and throughout the country.

On behalf of all people in the North, may I express how truly grateful we all are to your dedication to public service. My heartfelt thanks to you, Dennis, and especially to your family for loaning you to Canada.

Dennis, I for one will miss your sage advice and leadership. In the voice of the Yukon First Nations: Gùnáłchîsh. Mahsi’cho. Thank you.

Honourable senators, I, too, am delighted to join in the tributes to our colleague Senator Dennis Patterson. We know that life often throws us large curveballs and little darts that can change our direction and slightly alter the path we are travelling. In fact, this happens so often that while we are certain to register the large ones, the small day-to-day ones may be so imperceptible that it renders us unaware that our path has been altered at all.

I speak about this to highlight the fact that Senator Patterson’s career in politics began in 1979 when he was encouraged by the community elders to run as MLA to represent Iqaluit, formerly Frobisher Bay, in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. Having trained as a lawyer, this undoubtedly shifted his initial career plans to a life in politics.

By the way, Dennis is a graduate of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. He served four terms in the assembly, until 1995. He served as minister of education, minister of justice, and minister of municipal affairs. From 1987 to 1991, he served as the fifth premier of the Northwest Territories.

Senator Dennis Patterson contributed greatly to the creation of Nunavut as a territory. Indeed, it was a long and challenging journey, but one he has pointed to as a highlight of his career.

In a return to his initial path in law, after his time as premier, Senator Patterson established a private consulting firm and was admitted to the Law Society of Nunavut in 2001 and has been a trustee since 2003.

Dennis was appointed to represent Nunavut in the Senate in 2009 by prime minister Stephen Harper. Over his tenure in this place, he has been a strong advocate for the people of Nunavut and has been successful in bringing issues facing the territory to the national forefront. He has brought attention to the need for more marine facilities in the territory, and has seen finished projects such as Iqaluit’s deep-sea port as well as small-craft harbours for fishing boats built in smaller communities.

Dennis, I know you have spoken often about what you would like to see happen for Nunavut going forward. I am certain that you will continue to be active in your promotion of the North and its people once you leave this chamber.

It has been a pleasure working with you and having you as a next-door neighbour in the Victoria Building. On behalf of the Progressive Senate Group, I wish you all the very best as you forge this new path in your life after the Senate. I hope you will enjoy some well-deserved time with your family and that you will allow yourself some time for rest.

Best wishes to you always, Dennis.

Senator Dennis Patterson and I first truly met when we were both on the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources, working on Bill C-69. We had just held the first day of hearings on the bill in Vancouver and were flying off to Calgary.

I had been told we were travelling on a private chartered plane, and as a brand-new senator, I had a somewhat romanticized idea of what that would look like. When we got to the plane, it was anything but fancy: It was an elderly turboprop with no lap belts. Instead, the seats were equipped with somewhat daunting three-point full-body harnesses, which gave you the feeling you were strapping in for a risky ride.

I boarded the plane with no little trepidation, and I saw Senator Patterson, calm and cool, the veteran of many northern flights. I plopped myself down right next to him, causing some raised eyebrows, since I, a member of the Independent Senators Group, had dared to sit next to a Conservative.

We talked the whole way to Calgary.

I learned that we had both studied English Literature at the University of Alberta and that Senator Patterson had worked as a journalist. We shared a love of theatre.

Off the plane, I saw how hard and sincerely he worked to make Bill C-69 better. I knew his work ethic was something I wished to emulate.

Following Senator Patterson’s lead, though, hasn’t always been easy. I remember the day a group of senators and Senate staffers arrived in Prince Rupert for hearings on Bill C-48. We were a large delegation, and there were not enough taxis to get us all to the hotel. Senator Patterson grabbed his luggage and declared he would walk instead. Well, I figured if a 70-year-old senator could walk up that hill in the rain, I could get my 54‑year-old senatorial tuchus up there, too.

So I shouldered my computer, grabbed my wheelie bag and set out into what quickly became a downpour of sleet as we tried to navigate our way to the hotel. Thus I learned a cold, wet lesson about the risks of following in Senator Patterson’s footsteps or putting trust in his sense of direction.

Happily, his moral leadership in this institution has been far more reliable, whether he was crossing the floor because of his discomfort with the way some within his party embraced the anarchy of the “Freedom Convoy” movement, standing up for civil liberties at the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs or fighting for the interests of his people of his beloved Nunavut.

I will miss his humour, his compassion, his collegiality and all his hard work. I wish him clear skies and clear trails wherever his feet may take him next.

Honourable senators, it is my pleasure to pay tribute to Senator Dennis Patterson, whom I came to know and appreciate in my first year in the Senate.

We certainly had political differences, many of which remain, but it was immediately clear to me that Dennis was a hard‑working man, that he knew the political game and that he had a good grasp of public policy.

I was especially struck by the number of substantial, well-researched speeches that Dennis Patterson delivered on a wide range of issues. They were not just about the concerns of northern Canadians; he seemed capable of addressing almost every topic, at length, while wearing a sealskin jacket. For a Montrealer like me, that was pretty special.

Dennis and I had an opportunity to get to know each other better during the long and controversial study of Bill C-48, which sought to prevent oil tankers from entering the northern British Columbia coastline. We travelled there together, and we agreed on a crucial point: First Nations were deeply divided on the ban. Some supported it because they wanted to protect the coastal waters where they fished. Others opposed it because they derived economic benefits from the oil industry.

Senator Patterson and I worked together on an amendment that sought to find a pragmatic, flexible solution. I had no experience. He was patient, and he shared his knowledge. In the end, our compromise failed, for all sorts of reasons. In hindsight, our plan was probably unrealistic. But that failure had nothing to do with Senator Patterson, and it did not lessen the value of his essential commitment: a desire to find reasonable, workable compromises.

This fall, the Transport Committee decided to do a series of case studies across Canada on the impacts of climate change on transportation. But — what a surprise — we quickly received a detailed work plan on northern issues, complete with 15 proposed witnesses, from Senator Dennis Patterson, who does not sit on the committee. He personally knew all the mayors, businesspeople and pilots he had recommended. They all turned out to be excellent witnesses, especially on the disturbing issue of melting ice roads.

Dennis Patterson also attended the hearings, especially the testimony of the spokesperson for Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. Committee members had some difficulty establishing a fruitful dialogue, but it was Senator Patterson who gave this hunter the confidence to express himself.

I’m going to miss you, Dennis. I have one regret: You once invited me to come and discover Nunavut, but we never made it happen. I suppose you were too busy preparing speeches on medieval Viking exploration or Nunavut’s advanced space program. Who knows — maybe we’ll find the time someday, and I can buy myself a sealskin jacket of my own.