Honourable senators, what can I say about this humble, talented woman who leaves behind a legacy of beauty and love?

Rose-Aimée Bélanger was born on July 4, 1923, in Guérin, a small town in the Témiscamingue region of Quebec. She studied at Académie Sainte-Marie in Haileybury, Ontario, and then moved to Montreal to complete her studies in social sciences. She dabbled briefly in art by taking some night classes at Montreal’s École des Beaux-Arts and worked part-time for the newspaper Le Devoir.

She then put away her charcoal and quit her job to follow the love of her life, Laurent Bélanger, who she married on January 2, 1945. They settled in northern Ontario, where she gave birth to nine children, helped her husband with his many undertakings and took care of the household.

Then, after dedicating more than a quarter of century to caring for her family, she chose to become an artist and a sculptor.

In her workshop, she shaped unique, lean figures that gradually took on more inflated and robust forms. Her favourite subjects were women. Her sculpture of a woman eating chocolate became her best seller, while her life-sized sculpture, The Gossipers, located in Old Montreal, is one of the city’s most photographed sculptures and one its eight iconic pieces of art.

World-renowned for her work, Rose-Aimée Bélanger put away her clay in 2015 at the age of 92.

The beauty of Rose-Aimée Bélanger’s art lies in the feelings it evokes in the viewer. Each piece represents one of life’s little pleasures. They are stunningly beautiful, imbued with simplicity, wellness and kindness.

For over 40 years, Rose-Aimée Bélanger built up a remarkable collection of extraordinary pieces.

On the eve of her hundredth birthday earlier this year, a biography of her life was published by author Danielle Carrière-Paris. Reading this literary work is a real pleasure, as it introduces us to the woman behind the extraordinary artist.

Rose-Aimée Bélanger passed away at the age of 100 on November 12, surrounded by her children.

Just a few days before that, I had the pleasure of meeting her son Pierre, his wife and his children at the Ontario Economic Society’s Amethyst Gala, where they were presented with the Eco-responsible Entrepreneur Award for what they’ve achieved with their commercial farm, Bison du Nord, in Ontario’s Témiscamingue region.

Pierre spoke of his mother with love, pride and admiration. His mother’s passing is a great loss for the Bélanger family, as well as for the artistic community and everyone who knew and loved Rose-Aimée Bélanger.

We extend our deepest condolences to her large family who are grieving her loss.

Thank you for your attention.