SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Tributes
The Late Honourable Joseph A. Day
June 5, 2024
Honourable senators, it has been said:
Every run is a work of art, a drawing on each day’s canvas. Some runs are shouts and some runs are whispers. Some runs are eulogies and others celebrations.
This quote of Dagny Scott Barrios sums up well a runner’s attitude to running, but seems an apt metaphor for life too, particularly the life of my dear friend — and an avid runner — former senator Joe Day. Former Senator Day passed away last week, on May 27, leaving to mourn his wife, Georgie, his children and his grandchildren, plus the many friends he made during his lifetime. If Joe met you, you became a friend.
Honourable senators, Joe loved — and I truly mean loved — being in the Senate. During his time in this place, Joe spent more than a decade as Chair or Deputy Chair of the Senate Finance Committee. His attention to detail was second to none. He gave every bill its proper scrutiny, and on more than one occasion caught errors or inconsistencies, both large and small. And Joe didn’t care whether it was a Liberal budget or a Conservative budget — if there was an error, he found it.
Former Senator Day facilitated and oversaw the formation of the Progressive Senate Group and the continued evolution of the Senate. I had him to look to when I took on the role of leader, and I value deeply the model for leadership that he set forth.
Joe was a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada with a degree in electrical engineering. He went on to graduate from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Law degree and then earned a Master of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall. He worked in the field of intellectual property, and during his time in the Senate, he volunteered with the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, often hosting events on Parliament Hill. On his last day in office, he walked to the institute to donate a framed patent from 1855. That’s the kind of guy he was.
Honourable senators, cross-country and track and field coach Rod DeHaven said, “I’ve learned that it’s what you do with the miles, rather than how many you’ve run.”
Our friend Joe made the most of his miles. He loved life, and those who knew him know that he had a great sense of humour and a wonderful laugh. He adored his wife and partner, Georgie, his children, Emilie and Fraser and his four grandchildren. Bob and I send our thoughts and prayers to his family and many friends.
Honourable senators, it was truly an honour to work with Joe. He will be missed by so many. Thank you.
Honourable senators, I rise today on behalf of the Government Representative Office, or GRO, to pay tribute to the honourable former senator Joseph Day, who passed away on May 27. Former Senator Day proudly represented his home province of New Brunswick until his retirement in 2020. Joe Day was many things: as we heard, a graduate of the Royal Military College in Kingston with a degree in engineering, a lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force, a Bachelor of Law graduate from Queen’s University, a Master of Laws graduate from Osgoode Hall, a candidate for federal and provincial office, a marathon runner and a senator for more than 18 years.
Joe was also an anglophone from New Brunswick who worked hard to become proficient in and master the language of Molière.
Senator Day was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien in 2001. His work in the red chamber focused on defending the rights of his fellow New Brunswickers, as well as those of Indigenous peoples and veterans. He represented the Senate of Canada as the vice-president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. He also served on various Senate committees, including the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs, and as chair of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance.
Members of these committees admired him for his professionalism, evenhandedness and sense of humour. Newly appointed senators appreciated him for his willingness to mentor and patiently guide us through the unfamiliar and confusing rules and traditions of the Red Chamber. I’m looking at some of our newer colleagues and remembering well the help he provided me when I first arrived.
Joe served in this chamber under several governments of different political stripes. He was here when the Liberal senators became the Senate Liberal caucus, and he was elected leader of that caucus in 2016. It was Senator Day who announced the formation of the Progressive Senate Group in 2019, and he served as acting leader of the group until he retired.
I would like to quote former Senator Day’s speech to this chamber in December 2019, when he spoke here for the very last time:
We have a duty to act truthfully and with integrity with Canadians; to do what is legally and morally right. If the prefix “honourable” before our names is to be deserved, we must act truthfully and with integrity toward one another.
Joe Day’s example is, indeed, one to be emulated.
Permit me to offer my sincerest condolences to his wife of 52 years, Georgie, his children, Emilie and Fraser, his grandchildren, his extended family and his many, many friends. Godspeed, Joe. May your memory be a blessing.
Honourable senators, any time you’re not the first to pay tribute, you’re bound to repeat things that have already been said, so I will repeat at least some of what has already been said. I too wish to pay tribute to the Honourable Joseph Day, our former colleague and friend, who passed away on May 27 of this year.
Joe’s unwavering loyalty, work ethic and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him. Former Senator Day was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend — certainly to me, but also so many others in various walks of life.
His commitment to public life and our country was not only impressive but sincere. For 19 years, Joe worked tirelessly, drawing on his diverse background and amiable personality to collaborate with all sides of the Senate. His positive outlook on life and dedication to family, community and country will be remembered by all.
Over the years, former Senator Day demonstrated great discipline, integrity and professionalism. These characteristics were, without a doubt, instilled in him as a cadet at the Royal Military College of Canada. His deep understanding and appreciation of the Canadian Armed Forces can be found throughout his work here in the Senate. The Canadian Armed Forces lost an impressive ally.
As has already been said, he also took a special interest in financial bills. Like our colleague Senator Marshall, he would go over them meticulously — line by line — ad nauseam for some of us in the Senate.
I had a lot of respect for Senator Day. He was a good Liberal — if there is a good Liberal. Yet when he travelled abroad, he put partisanship aside and proudly represented Canada’s best interests, and he stood to defend and promote our government and the country’s overall reputation.
I am grateful for the opportunities that we had to travel together and will forever hold dear the memories that my wife and I shared with Georgie and Joe on trips to Mongolia, China and other places.
Colleagues, I believe that Senator Day’s legacy lives on through his kindness, commitment and respect for others. For now, at least, it appears that Senator Day will have been the last senator to hold the title of Liberal leader in the Senate of Canada.
As we honour Senator Day’s memory with gratitude and respect, our thoughts and prayers are with Georgie and her entire family at this time.
Thank you, colleagues.
Honourable senators, on behalf of the Independent Senators Group, I rise today with a heavy heart to pay tribute to the late Senator Joe Day from New Brunswick.
The title “honourable,” given to Joe Day in 2001 following his appointment to the Senate, was richly deserved. He was a highly accomplished and remarkable person. His insatiable hunger for knowledge, which led to a degree in engineering and a master’s degree in law, made him remarkable.
Joe was a firm believer in the adage “a healthy mind in a healthy body,” and the nine marathons he ran proved it. We shared offices in the Victoria Building and often crossed paths early in the morning, as Joe was entering his office, covered in sweat and wearing his running shoes, after a run.
Since Joe particularly loved a cold beer, I would tell him early in the morning, “You should run in the evenings, Joe, to enjoy that cold beer even more.”
Some may say that Joe’s discipline was the result of his military education and training — maybe.
I tend to believe it was rather his innate self-discipline that led him to study at two military colleges: the one in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, where he learned French, and the one in Kingston.
He was an honorary member of the Royal Military College of Canada and served on its board of governors from 2004 to 2007.
I believe Joe enjoyed and thrived in his professional career, but he was certainly passionate and engaged with the Liberal Party of New Brunswick and of Canada. In fact, his wife, Georgie, was a member of the legislative assembly, or MLA, and a minister in New Brunswick. They were a powerful and dedicated couple for the party and for democracy.
In 1982, Joe was a leadership candidate for the New Brunswick Liberal Party. All were very impressed with him. However, serving MLA Doug Young was chosen. To this day, many New Brunswickers opine and speculate what a different scenario would have produced.
Joe was certainly highly respected at home. New Brunswickers were thrilled when Joe was appointed to the Senate, and he did not disappoint their expectations.
Active in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the Canada-China Legislative Association, he strongly believed that parliamentarians could play an important role in diplomacy.
The Honourable Joe Day was also an exceptional chair of the National Finance Committee. He was fair, disciplined and thorough regarding budget bills. It was quite a learning experience to be a member of that committee under his chairmanship.
He was so thorough that on third reading of a certain bill in the Senate — some of my colleagues will remember this event — Senator Day remarked that the schedule was missing. Every clerk and leader was scrambling to find the schedule, only to discover that the other place had not included it when the bill was sent to the Senate.
Of course, the Senate was suspended until the other place corrected their mistake, as did the Senate. This is one example of the thoroughness of Joe Day, and one reason why he was truly a role model to us all.
I am sad that, after so many years of hard work and dedication, Joe did not have more time to enjoy retirement — if retirement is at all possible for a devoted and grounded Canadian like him. I hope, at least, there is a great beer garden up there.
On behalf of the Independent Senators Group, or ISG, we extend our sincere condolences to Joe’s wife, Georgie, and children, Emilie and Fraser.
Honourable senators, the former Senator Day’s staff got in touch with me and asked if I could relay the following message on their behalf:
It is a privilege to have had the opportunity to work for Senator Day. Or, as some of us used to say, to attend the Joe Day Bootcamp.
As his dear wife and love Georgie recently wrote, and I quote, “He viewed his role as a Canadian Senator in the purest of all ways and was constantly in awe when he looked out his office window at the Parliament Buildings. He took his role in a “sober second thought” institution very seriously. He went to work early and stayed late. He attended!” End quote.
And because of that diligent approach to his work, we were proud to work for him. He showed us what it meant to be a Parliamentarian, and he leaves an indelible mark.
He had a generosity of spirit that was obvious to all who met him, and his well-honed sense of humour and somewhat mischievous smile were disarming.
Senator, you will be sorely missed — and now, as we have done many times before, we raise a New Brunswick Moosehead Lager to you. Thank you for everything.
Thank you very much.
Honourable senators, I rise today with sadness and respect to pay tribute to a great parliamentarian, the Honourable Joseph A. Day.
Senator Day’s accomplishment as a lawyer and a lieutenant-colonel in the Canadian Air Force and his ascension into the world of politics made him a formidable senator. He was fiercely partisan and unapologetically Liberal, but that never overshadowed his humility and compassion. He was as humble as they came. His warm smile and gentle demeanour were his hallmarks, and he radiated a kindness that touched everyone he met.
He extended his hand out to everyone regardless of who the person on the other side was. This was my personal experience with Senator Day — or Joe, as he insisted being called. He welcomed me some 14 years ago and immediately took me under his wing and mentored me, a relatively young Conservative senator, with generosity and grace.
Early in my Senate career, having had the privilege of working closely with Senator Day, spending countless hours in the chamber and in committees, listening to his wisdom and observing his diplomatic approach, I learned invaluable lessons about politics and partisanship. He was living proof that you can be partisan without being divisive. That is the type of man he was.
Former Senator Day worked tirelessly across party lines to advance the cause of Canadian veterans and their families. Moreover, his passion for making Canada a key player and active participant in international affairs was ever-present during the 18 years he represented Canada at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. I want to quote Joe himself. During his farewell speech in this place, he said:
Honourable senators, we do not live in a silo called Canada. We live in a country which is a valued and influential member of the international community, and that gives rise to obligations on the international stage. We may have differences about the role we should play, but there are matters where we should have no differences.
Former Senator Day was consistent in every sense — in his words, actions and convictions. This consistency extended beyond the walls of Parliament. As an avid athlete, he was a familiar sight every morning during sitting weeks, running up and down Wellington Street wearing his bright workout attire and that unforgettable smile. It was almost like clockwork.
Colleagues, former Senator Day left an indelible mark on this institution and many of us here today. He will be missed, but his work will remain.
On behalf of my colleagues in the Canadian Senators Group, I would like to offer my sincere condolences to former Senator Day’s wife, Georgie; his children, Emilie and Fraser; and his grandchildren, Oakley, Audrey, Jasper and Juniper.
Thank you all.
Honourable senators, I ask you all rise and join me in a minute of silence in memory of our late colleague.
