Honourable senators, before proceeding, I will call upon the leaders to make a few short remarks before we take our winter break.

Honourable senators, before I turn to my text, a few words of apology are in order — first to Senator Woo, because I will be using a poem, or at least the structure of a poem, that he elegantly used on a previous occasion. I feel duty bound to offer my apologies as well to the Yeatses and Shakespeares of the world for what I’m about to do to the English language — and to Molière as well, as you’ll see in a moment.

The other thing that I would invite colleagues to do is indulge in a bit of poetic licence. I thought I would be giving this at night, perhaps even last night. So although I have made a few changes and without further apologies, my remarks to you all and those watching.

’Twas the night before rising, when all through the Senate,

The bills kept a-comin’ because the House didn’t get it.

They’d come to agreement and left to go home,

Not thinking of us down the street all alone.

We messaged and called and texted between us,

Sorting out how to law-make without all the fuss.

The studies got tabled and speeches were heard,

We did what was needed to push them to third.

We finally saw that the end was in sight,

The clock said we had one more hour to midnight.

While waiting for Rideau to give us its “yea,”

I know there was one more thing I’d yet to say.

Since COVID has kept many locked in a room,

Wearing masks and distancing and speaking through Zoom,

I owe you all a warm virtual kiss for getting it done, leaving nothing amiss.

There are one or two who deserve their own mentions,

They know this place well, the rules and conventions.

They help or they hinder, depending on the day,

It’s part of my job. Do I like it? I’ll say!

There’s Gagné and Benson and Plett and Pau Woo,

And Cordy and Tannas and Housakos now too.

To some I say thank you, and I mean this sincerely,

On days like this, we can see things most clearly.

We’re here for our country; we want what is best,

Our goals are the same; it’s not a contest.

Our families are waiting, so let’s get on our way,

Happy Holidays to all, and to all a very good day.

On behalf of the official opposition, I would like to thank all our colleagues for their commitment, their cooperation, and their love for our great country, Canada. Thank you to all the leaders and the leadership of all Senate groups. In a very short period of time, just three weeks, we have accomplished a great deal as we kicked off this Forty-fourth Parliament. We have referred several public bills to committee for study, and we have referred several more to the House of Commons in the spirit of cooperation. I hope we’ll all keep up the enthusiasm and the same cooperative spirit as we continue our work in the new year.

I imagine, colleagues, in large part the last few weeks of cooperation is probably due to the spirit of Christmas. Of course, in the spirit of Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but also we celebrate giving and sharing with our loved ones and friends. We also spend the time just before Christmas reflecting on all the joys and wonderful things we are blessed with, but also reflecting on all the challenges that this country faces. Just last year, we were wrapping up for Christmas with a note of cautious optimism for the new year. We have taken some steps forward and some backward, but we will rise again with more hope and optimism for the coming new year.

We should also take time to reflect on the 30,000 Canadians who have perished during this existential crisis that our country is facing. We should take the time to reflect on the three colleagues we lost in this institution over the last 12 months, our dear friends and colleagues: Senator Elaine McCoy, Senator Josée Forest-Niesing and Senator Judith Keating. Over the last few months, I have thought about them on a number of occasions.

We think about our colleagues who are alive and doing well but have retired throughout this year: Senator Doug Black, Senator Linda Frum and Senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen.

We celebrate the coming of some of the new blood and talent as well.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t say goodbye to my colleague and friend Senator Thanh Hai Ngo, who is retiring on January 3. He left this place earlier today with the quiet humility he entered with many years ago, but he did work with vigour and dynamism in this place, supporting the things that were dear to his heart. He is a very respected member of the Vietnamese-Canadian community and respected by his colleagues. We wish him well.

I don’t want to take up any more time. I want to thank the leaders of the caucus and groups for their generosity in working with me for the last few weeks.

I want to thank all the administration of the Senate, each and every one of them. Without their support, we can’t do what we do here.

I want to thank Your Honour and the Deputy Speaker for steering the ship and doing their job with dignity and impartiality.

Merry Christmas to all. All I wish for everyone is health, health and more health in the new year.

Dear colleagues, as this fall session comes to a close, I have mixed feelings of sadness and optimism. First, I would like to express my condolences to our colleagues who lost family members this year. My thoughts are with the families of our three colleagues who passed away: Senator McCoy, Senator Keating and Senator Forest-Niesing. I am also thinking of our colleagues who can’t be with us at present because they are ill.

I would also like to highlight, as Senator Housakos just did, the service of an eminent colleague who will be leaving us early in the new year. Senator Ngo served this institution for 10 years with elegance and distinction. Senator Ngo, I will miss your elegant turns of phrase, particularly in the language of Molière. We wish you all the best for a satisfying retirement.

Dear colleagues, this ongoing pandemic has not allowed us to serve our fellow Canadians as well as we would have liked. We have to acknowledge that it also made it harder to hold our debates. It definitely hampered relations and discussions in the Senate Chamber and in the committee corridors. These discussions are important for collegiality and the quality of our working relationship. That is the harsh reality, but the silver lining is the optimism now being expressed in these end-of-year greetings.

We have accomplished a lot, despite everything, to serve the cause of justice and peace in our country and around the world. That is our duty, a duty the Chair reminds us of every day in our moment of reflection at the beginning of the sitting. That is why, on this positive note, I want to acknowledge some of our accomplishments on contemporary issues over this pandemic year, 2021. These accomplishments are having a major impact on the lives of Canadians. I am thinking about the bill that became law on medical assistance in dying, the bill on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the creation of a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and, more recently, the ban on conversion therapy. I won’t keep going, but there are other major accomplishments that we should celebrate as this fall session comes to an end.

That said, colleagues, we must not let this pandemic get the better of our democracy. I have faith that we will be able to put technology to good use and agree to meet as often as we can, both in the Senate and in committee, for as long as necessary. I suggest that we make this a group New Year’s resolution. I truly hope that we can keep this resolution in 2022 and that it won’t end up like other resolutions to diet or work out five times a week. I am all the more confident that we will keep this resolution based on what I have heard here today, about the importance of properly fulfilling our role as the chamber of sober second thought.

I will conclude by thanking all those who work every day behind the scenes with competence and dedication to help us fulfill our demanding mandate. To those in the Senate Administration, in our chamber and committees, and our staffers as well; to all of you, our deepest gratitude.

On behalf of the Independent Senators Group, I wish everyone a happy holiday season as well as a safe and peaceful resting time. Thank you.

Honourable senators, I would like to begin by acknowledging that I am joining you from Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people.

We have arrived once again at the end of our sittings before the holiday break. We have been busy since our return, and the Senate has passed some critical legislation. Our committees are up and running, and many of you have brought important issues to the floor of our chamber for discussion. We’ve faced challenges but we have always risen to the occasion, and I hope that we have made the lives of Canadians better and easier by the work we do in this chamber.

I would like to thank everyone who makes our work possible during days like this. I won’t say “unprecedented times,” because after almost two years, the unprecedented times have actually become the norm. Thank you to the clerks, pages, interpreters, stenographers, Information Services Directorate, building services, the Parliamentary Protective Service and Senate Administration staff. Thank you so much for your dedication and hard work in keeping this chamber running smoothly. Without you, we would simply not be here, and never has that fact been more evident than it is now.

Thanks to you, Speaker Furey, for always leading the way with the very best in mind for the chamber and for the people who make it hum. Your concern for the safety of all staff is a true reflection of who you are as a person, and I thank you. And thank you to Senator Ringuette, who has been elected Speaker pro tempore twice in 2021.

I would like to take a moment to thank the PSG leadership team, Senators Dalphond, Bovey and Francis, and all my Progressive Senate Group colleagues for their support and collaboration this year. The PSG is a merry group of senators, and I could not be happier about how we have all come together. Our meetings are full of shared ideas and frank discussions, but also much laughter and collegiality. I look forward to the day when we can be in one room again, and enjoy all that we have built together. It is a privilege to work with each and every one of you.

I would be remiss if I did not mention The Progressives’ staff. Every PSG office, and I would say every office on the Hill, has truly excellent people in it, who work hard on behalf of their senators. Thank you so much. And to our leadership staff — Melanie, Caitlin, David, Natasha and Heather, who is on parental leave — a huge thank you for all that you do. As we all know, for the staff who work for us, whether in leadership or in senators’ offices, this is not a 9-to-5 job.

Finally, I would like to thank my fellow leaders and facilitators, Senators Gold, Plett, Housakos, Woo and Tannas. Our discussions have not always been sunshine and roses, but we manage to set aside our differences when it counts and do the best we can for the Senate and for all Canadians.

Senator Woo, as you take your leave as facilitator of the ISG, I hope that you look back fondly on your time in that role and take pride in your many accomplishments. Senator Saint-Germain, I look forward to working with you over the next year. It sure will be nice to have two women in the leadership group.

Honourable senators, in normal times we would all be heading back to our respective provinces for some rest and relaxation. For those going home, safe travels. But many of us will simply click “leave the meeting” and head to the next room. So whether travelling across the country or just walking away from the computer, on behalf of the Progressive Senate Group, I wish you all a very happy holiday season and best wishes for the new year. Stay safe, and I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Honourable senators, before we adjourn and return to our families and friends for the winter break, I would like to take a moment to extend my sincerest thanks to all senators, members of our staff, employees of the Senate Administration and, of course, our pages who continue to faithfully fulfill their duties here in the chamber, even as they write their final exams.

I would especially like to thank the Senate leaders of the various groups and caucuses for their understanding and cooperation in our efforts to keep the health and safety of our colleagues and employees uppermost in our deliberations, especially during this very dangerous time of the Omicron variant outbreak.

All the members of our Senate family are working together to support senators and help them do their jobs on behalf of their constituents. I am very proud of the challenges we have overcome this year and the progress we have made together.

I know I speak for all senators as I extend a heartfelt thank you to all of those who support us day in and day out. This includes, of course, all our Senate staff, our colleagues in the Library of Parliament, the Parliamentary Protective Service, International and Interparliamentary Affairs, Food Services and the Translation Bureau. All of them play a pivotal role in the daily functioning of our institution.

We all appreciate your dedication, your expertise and your countless contributions to our chamber. Thank you for everything you do for us.

May your holidays be filled with the warmth and spirit of the season, and I hope each of you enjoy some precious time safely spent with family and friends. I look forward to seeing you all with a renewed sense of resolve in 2022.

As you try to spend some quality time with family and friends, please have a family member or a friend hide your cellphone. Stay safe, everybody.

Honourable senators, with leave of the Senate and notwithstanding rule 5-5(j), I move:

That the sitting be suspended to await the announcement of Royal Assent, to reassemble at the call of the chair with a five minute bell.

Is leave granted, honourable senators?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.