Honourable senators, I am pleased to rise today on World Environmental Health Day, World Contraception Day and ParticipACTION Sneak It In Day. While I want to acknowledge and celebrate these days, my primary purpose in rising today is to acknowledge our fabulous colleague and friend, who, as a human rights champion and brilliant advocate, I know also supports these days.

Please join me in congratulating the brilliant Senator Bernadette Clement on her induction into the University of Ottawa Common Law Honour Society. Bernadette, you hold degrees in civil law and common law from the University of Ottawa. As her mentor, friend and then executive director of the Cornwall legal aid clinic Etienne Saint-Aubin, Esq., tells it, after being called to the bar of Ontario, her uncle told her there might be a job for a lawyer in Cornwall. She wasn’t even sure where Cornwall was; she had never been there before. However, our intrepid friend boarded a bus, went in pursuit and landed the position at the non-profit Roy McMurtry Legal Clinic and eventually took over as the director. Indeed, she still works there part‑time.

Mr. Saint-Aubin also said that the community of Cornwall fell in love with Bernadette. The rest is history. She became the first woman to be elected as mayor of Cornwall, and the first Black woman to serve as mayor in Ontario. Our colleague prioritizes service to others, educating and engaging with youth and contributing to the multitude of communities that are hers.

The best evidence that she is an inspirational mentor is the reality that her team came with her from Cornwall to the Hill. They describe her capacity to listen and care and how she regards people as the highest priority, how she remembers people’s stories, remembers their hopes, fears and dreams, and how she exudes great joy when she assists others to achieve success — not to mention when she dances, whether when she was sworn in or in her TikTok videos all over the Hill and beyond. No wonder she is a much sought-after inspirational speaker as someone who energizes all with whom she interacts.

We’re so proud to celebrate you with this latest honour, one of many in a long list of well-deserved recognitions.

Thank you, meegwetch, and congratulations to our fabulous, beautiful, brilliant “Dancing Queen,” Bernadette Clement.