Thank you, Your Honour, for starting Question Period a minute earlier than what was anticipated. I was thinking I might have to hold my breath for a minute before I would start delivering my remarks, and I didn’t have to do that.

Honourable senators, I’m rising today to speak to second reading of Bill S-274, An Act to establish — and I hope I will not mess this up too often, Senator McCallum — National Thanadelthur Day. This bill was introduced by Senator McCallum.

Before I begin, colleagues, I want to set the record straight again, as we have in the past. This is in regard to some comments made by Senator McCallum in her intervention after the adjournment and as insinuated by others after we adjourned the debate about a week ago. It was insinuated that the Conservatives were delaying the adoption of this bill by taking the adjournment that day.

Quite frankly, that could not be further from the truth. The fact of the matter is that when Senator McCallum delivered her second reading speech on Bill S-274 on September 21, 2023, the adjournment was taken in Senator McPhedran’s name. She then held the adjournment in her name for over a year, even resetting the clock this past April and finally speaking on day 15, last Tuesday, over a year later.

Colleagues, we never held the adjournment, so I’m not sure how we could have delayed Bill S-274.

The only people who delayed your bill, Senator McCallum, are in fact Senator McPhedran and the Senate Government Representative Office, or GRO. It is the GRO’s responsibility, as we have said in the past — and it doesn’t matter how bewildered they look, again — through Senator LaBoucane-Benson to offer proper representation to non-affiliated senators.

Clearly, they have let you and other non-affiliated senators down, Senator McCallum. It is not the Conservatives and, in fact, not the Independent Senators Group, or ISG; not the Canadian Senators Group, or CSG; nor the Progressive Senate Group, or PSG. It is the government that has let you down.

We all know that with a proper government in the Senate, your bill, Senator McCallum, would have had better representation. Instead, we have a government in the Senate that states they will not intervene in private member’s bills, or PMBs. Then that same government chooses to vote in favour of adjourning debate on one PMB and voting against adjournment on another PMB.

We all know that critics typically, whether they’re friendly critics or other critics, are the last people to speak on a bill. That’s not a rule, but that’s by convention. Critics are given the opportunity of being the last people to speak.

Senator McPhedran had your bill in adjournment. Here I am, a week later, speaking.

I want to refer us a little bit to Bill C-355 in this same regard. We, and I personally, have already been accused by Senator Dalphond, Animal Justice and all kinds of other people of stalling Bill C-355. Many of you don’t even know what Bill C-355 is, probably, but I am responsible for stalling it. Animal Justice is sending letters around to their membership telling them: The Conservatives are stopping your bill, and horses are being slaughtered because the Conservatives are stalling your bill.

I am the critic on this bill, and I plan to be the last person to speak on this bill before it goes to committee. Today, there are four people slated to speak on scroll on Bill C-355. They’re listed on scroll today, yet I’m responsible and the Conservatives have been responsible for holding up this bill. At least two other senators from two different caucuses in this chamber have told me they also want to speak on Bill C-355. They don’t know when, but they want to speak on Bill C-355. Yet the fundraising is out there, and the fight against the Conservatives goes on.

It doesn’t matter what you say, Senator Gold; that is the truth. You are one of the people who want to speak on it. The government leader wants to speak on Bill C-355 today, yet Senator Dalphond says I’m holding it up.

Yet again, it is the Conservatives, Senator McCallum and colleagues, who will do their job and help you move your good bill forward.

Like I have said many times, I strongly believe in every senator’s right to speak. I have always had the highest respect, Senator McCallum, for your true and strong independence.

I’m raising these points because these insinuations raised against the Conservative caucus are unfair and without any basis. You can then surely appreciate and understand my colleagues’ surprise and disappointment when these insinuations were made a week ago.

Now, while I might not intervene very often on these types of bills where we are enacting a month or a week of recognition — I’m not the biggest fan of recognizing days, weeks or months — Bill S-274, presented by Senator McCallum, in my opinion, is different. It’s an exception because, in my opinion, it’s an opportunity for our country, especially our children, to learn a little bit about our history.

Born in the late 1690s, Thanadelthur was a peace negotiator, guide, teacher and interpreter in northern Manitoba. She negotiated peace between her tribe — the Denesuline — and the Cree, as well as played an instrumental role in creating ties between her tribe and the Hudson’s Bay Company, or HBC, during the fur trade.

After escaping her captors in 1714, Thanadelthur made her way back to York Factory, a trading post for the Hudson’s Bay Company. Governor James Knight wanted to expand trading north of the Churchill River but needed peace to be made between the Denesuline and the Cree. Thanadelthur left with a company of 150 Cree on a mission to broker a peace deal between the two groups.

Although most of her company could not withstand the cold winter or the sickness, Thanadelthur, with about a dozen of her companions, was determined to carry on. While failure seemed to be almost a certainty, they stumbled upon nine Denesuline bodies. Fearing retaliation, the Cree members in her group did not want to continue.

Determined, Thanadelthur convinced them to stay where they were and promised to return in 10 days. After finding a group of Denesuline people, she convinced them of their pacific intentions and returned to her group, as promised, 10 days later.

Close to a year after the expedition left York Factory, Thanadelthur returned with peace having been achieved. The new peace accord allowed HBC to expand north of the Churchill River and establish present-day Churchill. Encouraged by the expansion, Governor Knight planned for a second expansion, to which Thanadelthur agreed. Unfortunately, she did not see the plan come to fruition, dying of illness on February 5, 1717.

After her death, Governor Knight wrote the following in his diary:

She was one of a very high Spirit and of the Firmest Resolution that ever I see in any Body in my Days and of great Courage.

According to the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, Thanadelthur is celebrated for several reasons:

First, she is celebrated for her diplomacy, which was displayed through her successful negotiation between the Cree and the Denesuline and is a prime example of effective diplomacy and conflict resolution.

Second, she is celebrated for her bravery; her journey, survival and willingness to be a peacemaker during violent times highlight her extraordinary courage.

The third reason is the important impact on trade. The peace agreements she brokered opened up trading in northern Manitoba for the Hudson’s Bay Company into modern-day Churchill.

Lastly, Thanadelthur is celebrated for her cultural ambassadorship, through her peacemaking between different Indigenous cultures as well as between Indigenous peoples and Europeans. She convinced three groups to overlook their cultural differences to find common ground together, a wonderful feat.

Widely known as an ambassador for peace, Thanadelthur had significant importance for Manitoba and Indigenous history. Through the challenges she faced to survive harsh winters in Manitoba, Thanadelthur is a symbol of strength, leadership and courage. And believe me, colleagues — Senator McCallum is well aware; I have spent much of my time up in the same areas that she has — you haven’t experienced winter until you’ve been through a Manitoba winter. Thanadelthur’s legacy of bridging cultural differences is one that still resonates today and could offer teachings for all of our youth.

Yet, despite the pivotal role she played in Manitoba’s history, her story has not found the wider recognition that it rightfully and importantly deserves. We know of the impact that other major figures have had in our country and various provinces, but we also need a light to shine on stories like Thanadelthur’s. In a storied country like ours, too many important figures are pushed to the margins of history.

Manitoba, indeed, has a rich history to share with the rest of the country and the world. From Louis Riel and John Norquay, who have shaped our province and country, to Margaret Laurence and Gabrielle Roy, who made Manitoba’s rich culture shine, Manitoba boasts an impressive array of important figures. While these names are better known across the country, some others, like Thanadelthur, are still in some obscurity. To have a day in recognition of her life would shine a brighter light on her remarkable life and on her legacy to inspire future generations.

Like I said earlier, and like many of you know already, I am not a huge fan of the various special days, weeks and months of recognition that are passed in this place. I simply believe there are too many. However, if there are any that deserve this type of recognition, this is one that deserves it.

Colleagues, I would encourage all senators here to support Bill S-274 at second reading, for it to be studied at committee and for the committee to determine if this is the best avenue with which to recognize Thanadelthur, because, without a doubt, there needs to be recognition.

In closing, Senator McCallum, I want to thank you for bringing forward the story and legacy of an important figure in our history. I thank you for your patience. It’s always a good day when we can learn about our shared history, and thanks to your initiative, Senator McCallum, Thanadelthur’s story reached a wider audience.

Thank you, colleagues.