Honourable senators, it is my honour to rise today to pay tribute to a former colleague who passed away last December, the Honourable Noël Kinsella, the forty-second Speaker of the Senate of Canada.

While a list of his lifetime of professional and academic accomplishments would be lengthy, these facts alone do not convey his warmth and kindness, his sensible counsel, his humour and his good nature. For these qualities and many more, he is missed by all who knew him.

It is difficult to discuss the protection and promotion of human rights in Canada over the last 60 years without acknowledging the work of Dr. Noël Kinsella. There is not enough time to list all the contributions he made in this regard, so I will highlight just a few: president of the Canadian Human Rights Foundation, founding chair of the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission and a member of New Brunswick’s delegation during the negotiations which led to the patriation of the Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

After his appointment to this chamber, upon the advice of former prime minister Brian Mulroney in 1990, Senator Kinsella would go on to serve in the opposition Conservative caucus as whip, deputy leader and leader. On February 8, 2006, former prime minister Stephen Harper named Senator Kinsella as the Senate’s Speaker. He would become the longest-serving Senate Speaker in Canadian history — and one of the most consequential — whose work and rulings guide our deliberations to this day.

Speaker Kinsella approached his role with a fair and open mind, always showing respect towards his fellow senators and the rules which govern the place in which we are fortunate to work. As Speaker, he displayed a great deal of courtesy and composure during the difficult times for the Senate, and he was ever mindful of the need to preserve decorum in the chamber, a tough job on occasion.

In carrying out the diplomatic duties, which are an important element of the role of the Speaker, he served as a respected and dignified representative of the Canadian Parliament. Staying true to his long-time opposition to mandatory retirement — I agree with him now — Speaker Kinsella stepped down from the Senate two days before his seventy-fifth birthday in November 2014. In recognition of his outstanding public service to Canadians, Prime Minister Harper appointed him to the Privy Council.

Speaker Kinsella drew on his deep Catholic faith throughout his public and private life. It is my hope this faith sustains his family as they grieve their immense loss. On behalf of all of his friends in the Conservative caucus and, indeed, all in the Senate, I extend my sincere condolences. May the perpetual light shine upon him, and may he rest in peace.