THE SENATE — New Senators
Congratulations on Appointments
December 13, 2022
Honourable senators, on behalf of my colleagues in the Government Representative Office, I would like to welcome our newest colleague to the Red Chamber, Senator Sharon Burey.
Senator Burey has been a practising pediatrician in the Windsor region for more than 20 years. She has also provided care for the smallest patients in northern Ontario. Her list of accomplishments is a long one. She attended the University of Western Ontario, received a Bachelor of Science in Biology, got her medical degree from Dalhousie University and completed a residency in pediatrics at the IWK hospital in Halifax. She served as the president of the Pediatricians Alliance of Ontario. She is a member of the Health Policy Committee of the Ontario Medical Association, or OMA, a former pediatrics delegate to the OMA Council and a former committee member of the OMA Outreach to Women Physicians Committee. She is also an adjunct professor of pediatrics at Western University.
When Senator Burey was appointed, the Windsor Star published an article proudly announcing that a Windsorite had been appointed to the Senate of Canada for the first time in 40 years. What is even more remarkable is that she is the first woman and the first person of colour from Windsor to hold such a position.
Senator Burey, your hometown is very proud of you.
Senator Burey’s impressive professional and personal experience, her work in the health care field and her perspectives and passion on issues relating to diversity and inclusion are welcome additions to this chamber.
Senator Burey, I hope you’re looking forward to your time here, because we are certainly looking forward to your input and your wisdom as we deliberate, review and study the issues most affecting Canadians.
Honourable senators, on behalf of the opposition and the Senate Conservative caucus, I am pleased to rise in this chamber to welcome our new colleagues, the Honourable Sharon Burey and the Honourable Rebecca Louise Patterson.
Let me begin by welcoming you and thanking you both for your previous service to the public through your respective professions.
Senator Burey, as a pediatrician in Ontario for more than 30 years, you have dedicated much of your professional life to helping and serving others. You also have dedicated your career “to equality, and to justice for those living in poverty, visible minorities, and other marginalized communities.”
According to the Windsor Star, your appointment was widely celebrated by Windsorites, as you are the first senator from Windsor in 40 years. As a senator, you will undoubtedly give voice to Windsorites as well as to your constituents beyond your region and continue your advocacy work in various ways.
Senator Patterson, I wish to thank you for your service in the Canadian Armed Forces. You have served in uniform in various leadership roles, particularly as a:
. . . Defence Champion for Women, and the first person with a military nursing background to ever lead at the rank of Flag (General) Officer.
Senator Patterson, I am uplifted and, undoubtedly, so are members of the Canadian Armed Forces to see that you will be representing them in this esteemed chamber. I trust that your past experiences and expertise uniquely position you to fight for our courageous military heroes with passion, as they deserve the highest recognition and representation.
Senators Burey and Patterson, I am truly pleased to extend to you both a very warm welcome to the Senate of Canada.
As I’ve stated before, Canadians have increasingly been looking at the Senate not just for sober second thought and due diligence, they have been looking at the Senate for hope — hope that their voices are heard, that their concerns become ours and that together this chamber ensures the best path forward for everyone across our beautiful country. As parliamentarians, it is our duty to work and fight to represent the voices of all Canadians here in Ottawa. With your backgrounds and experience, Senator Patterson and Senator Burey, I believe you are well predisposed to do just that.
My colleagues and I look forward to working in collaboration with you both. On behalf of the opposition, and the Conservative caucus, I want to warmly welcome you to the Senate of Canada.
Honourable senators, I rise again today on behalf of the Government Representative Office, this time to welcome Senator Rebecca Patterson to our midst.
Senator Patterson comes to us after a stellar career in the Canadian Armed Forces. As someone who holds a diploma in nursing from Niagara College Canada and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing — summa cum laude — from the University of Ottawa, she is the first person with a military nursing background to ever lead at the rank of Flag (General) Officer as Rear‑Admiral. She is a Canadian Armed Forces leader and Defence Champion for Women and, just prior to joining us, she served as Director General, Culture Change, Chief Professional Conduct and Culture, where she coordinated the whole-of-defence policy approach to support Canada’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.
She has also had international experience on military deployments to the Persian Gulf, Somalia, and Afghanistan.
Senator Patterson was named a Global News Edmonton Woman of Vision, was granted the Ontario Premier’s Award for excellence in health sciences for Ontario college graduates, received recognition for “Breaking Down the Barricades” in the highlights of the Esprit de Corps magazine and was presented with a Niagara College distinguished alumni award.
The accomplishment that she is most proud of is being the founder and director of Soldiers Helping Soldiers, a volunteer‑based organization that connects veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with service providers who can help them.
We are lucky to be welcoming to our Senate ranks someone whose life experiences will help inform us on the timely issues that are so relevant to our studies and deliberations.
Welcome, Senator Patterson.
Honourable senators, I am also pleased to rise today to welcome two new colleagues, the Honourable Senator Sharon Burey and the Honourable Senator Rebecca Patterson.
Honourable Senator Sharon Burey, today in the Senate you are officially opening a new chapter of your life, and as this chapter is beginning, I wish to express how eager all members of the Independent Senators Group are to work with you.
Colleagues, Senator Burey has demonstrated tremendous leadership and earned so much respect in the field of children’s health. Her work as a health advocate has been recognized with numerous honours. She has been bestowed with the Ontario Chapter Excellence Award and a Special Achievement Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as an Excellence in Health Care Award from the North American Black Historical Museum & Cultural Centre. She was notably recognized for her outstanding service to the Council For The Prevention Of Child Abuse in Windsor-Essex County, where she was the co-chairperson of the medical issues committee. Despite all those experiences and awards, Senator Burey has proven her continuous pursuit of professional development, and she has recently completed a Physician Business Leadership Program at York University.
Honourable Senator Burey, even though you were appointed 23 days ago, you have been dedicated to improving the well‑being of Canadians from a very young age when you decided to pursue your medical studies and became a renowned, engaged and seasoned pediatrician.
At one of the conferences of the Ontario Medical Association related to the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, which took place in August 2021 and at which you presided, you stated, “Children and adolescents make up roughly 20% of our population, but they are really 100% of our future.” As we all face the challenge of leaving future generations with a world worth living in, your credentials give me high hopes that we will do a much better job with the contributions and leadership of colleagues like you.
Colleagues, we are privileged to have with us here the first woman of colour to ever hold the position of President of the Pediatricians Alliance of Ontario. Senator Burey, it is now no secret that you know how to break a glass ceiling, and today we are pleased to have among us another senator to inspire future generations to dream big.
We wish you every success.
Respect: That is what I feel when I think about the career of our new colleague Senator Rebecca Patterson. Her career culminated in her rise to the high office of Rear-Admiral of the Canadian Armed Forces — an office that, you will agree, is grounded in excellence.
Your military career, Senator Patterson, is nothing short of remarkable. I won’t enumerate the long list of your important leadership positions with the military, but I will note that you devoted your life to the service and protection of others, and for that, we are very grateful.
A nursing practitioner by training, you have risen through the ranks in the Armed Forces by your talent, hard work and natural leadership. You were deployed in key areas at crucial moments for Canada. In 1991, you served at a Canadian field hospital in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf conflict. You also supported the efforts of the Canadian Airborne Regiment in 1993 in Somalia. More recently, you assisted the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police with re-establishing their medical education and training system — an impressive list of achievements, to say the least.
For your outstanding service, you were inducted as an Officer of the Order of Military Merit and received the Governor General’s Meritorious Service medal, just two of the many awards you have earned. Your strong military experience guarantees an added value as well as a unique perspective for our work here at the Senate. It will be highly useful when tackling contemporary issues and forming public policy.
Immediately before your appointment, you served as Director General, Culture Change, Chief Professional Conduct and Culture. In this role, you led and supported efforts to change the culture in the Canadian Armed Forces and bring it closer to a future where it is free of sexual harassment and other harmful behaviours that largely target women and vulnerable people. The Canadian Armed Forces trusted you — and rightly so — with this vital role for their credibility. I am glad that, from now on, such a trusted figure as yours will be associated with the Senate of Canada in the minds of Canadians.
As you may know, in the Senate of Canada, we have also taken steps toward instilling a culture of excellence. We know that you will contribute to keeping us on the right path. Senator Patterson, in my name as well as in the name of every single senator in the Independent Senators Group, I congratulate you on your merit and wish you every success during your tenure in the Senate of Canada.
Honourable senators, on behalf of the Progressive Senate Group, I’m pleased to once again join other leaders in what feels like a now regular and indeed very positive occurrence. Today, we have another two senators taking their places in this chamber, and I would like to extend the same warm greetings to them as I have to those who came before.
With your arrival, Senator Burey, we are gaining a champion for equality and justice, particularly for those in marginalized communities. I dare say that will make for a seamless transition to working in the Senate, although you’ll be surrounded by fewer children in this place.
As has been noted, you were the first woman of colour to become president of the Pediatricians Alliance of Ontario. In this place, it’s been over 40 years since we have had a senator representing your city of Windsor, and you are the first woman — and the first person of colour — to fill that role. We all know that being able to see oneself reflected in particular positions can have a tremendous impact, and I know that so many people — and especially children — will benefit from seeing you take your place in this chamber.
Being from Nova Scotia, I was very pleased that you were a graduate of Dalhousie University and that you worked at the IWK Health Centre.
Senator Patterson, with your arrival, we are gaining a champion for women — a Defence Champion for Women, to be more precise. As we’ve heard, you were the first person with a military nursing background to lead at the rank of Flag (General) Officer. Your work has taken on many different directions, but always in the service of others. One of your most recent efforts — helping seniors in long-term care facilities during the pandemic — is particularly commendable.
In a committee in the other place, you said that “Establishing a culture of belonging, dignity and justice will help unite us.” You were, of course, speaking about the Canadian Armed Forces and the work you’ve done there, but I think it’s a fitting statement for many places, including our own chamber. We work best when we are working under the right conditions, and I’m pleased to have more new faces to help us with that task here.
By the way, my brother-in-law, Dennis Hearn, who worked with you in the military, said that I would love working with you because we both have similar personalities. So if you see me staring at you or listening intently, I’ll be checking out your personality.
Senators, through your respective careers to date, you have both faced tremendous challenges, and you have both tackled them admirably. With this new chapter in your lives, I am certain that you will equally rise to the occasion.
On behalf of the Progressive Senate Group, it is my pleasure to officially welcome you both to the Senate of Canada. We look forward to working with you both, Senator Burey and Senator Patterson.
Today, we welcome two new senators to this chamber, Senator Burey and Senator Patterson.
As a strong leader in the field of health and well-being of children and as a pediatrician, professor and advocate for those living in poverty and marginalized communities, Senator Burey has been an inspiration. Her participation in our debates, both in this place and in committee, will no doubt provide us with unique insight.
Senator, one of your predecessors from the city of Windsor in this chamber was Paul Martin Sr., who is widely famous for being one of the principal architects of the Canadian health care system. As a health care practitioner, your views on improving our system will be very timely. No pressure.
I heard a particularly touching story about how you inspired a Dalhousie Medical School graduate. When she was 6 years old, her mother brought her to your office and she saw a doctor that looked like her: a female and a person of African heritage. She said that she knew then that she too wanted to become a doctor because “seeing you that day opened my eyes to opportunities for myself that I had not yet imagined.”
Now as a senator you will have the opportunities to continue to inspire young people to imagine something they might not have thought possible.
We also welcome Senator Patterson from Ontario. This is Senator Patterson from Nunavut. You’ll forever be bracketed.
Rear-Admiral Patterson is a highly decorated and highly accomplished Flag Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, and the 222nd senator appointed with previous military experience, and now we welcome you to our ranks.
A registered nurse by training, she has served in numerous leadership positions, promoting mental health and supporting servicewomen and servicemen with mental injuries. She is the founding director of Soldiers Helping Soldiers, an organization which assists homeless veterans.
Senator Patterson, looking at your parliamentary record, you have appeared before parliamentary committees, and I assume that this place will become second nature to you very quickly. I hope you will more enjoy asking the questions instead of answering them.
Senators Burey and Patterson, on behalf of the Canadian Senators Group, I welcome you to the Senate, and my colleagues look forward to working with you.
