Senators, I rise today on behalf of the Government Representative Office to pay tribute to our colleague, the Honourable Senator Jean-Guy Dagenais.

As you know, Senator Dagenais served the people of Quebec for close to 40 years as a peace officer with the Sûreté du Québec. Over his career, Senator Dagenais held various positions, including patrolman, investigator and team leader.

For most people, that would have been more than enough, but not for Senator Dagenais. He was actively involved in the Association des policières et policiers provinciaux du Québec, where he quickly climbed the ranks, serving in turn as delegate, regional director, vice-president and finally, president, in which capacity he conducted negotiations with the Province of Quebec on behalf of his fellow officers. This was only the beginning.

While most people would have opted for retirement after such a brilliant career, our colleague was the exception. He kept on advocating on behalf of Quebecers and working for them here in the Senate.

It is therefore not surprising that Senator Dagenais’s first speech in this chamber was to sponsor Bill C-36, the Protecting Canada’s Seniors Act, which added vulnerability due to age as an aggravating circumstance for sentencing purposes. For over 12 years, Senator Dagenais has brought his experience and perspective to the many important debates that take place in this chamber.

On a more personal note, those Canadians and senators who have only seen us interact during Question Period may be surprised to learn that Senator Dagenais and I have a lot in common. We are both Quebecers, and we share a great love of music. Senator Dagenais and I both played in rock bands when we were younger. He played keyboard and I played guitar. This shared experience enabled us to forge a warm personal friendship.

My friend, during your time here, you have always been a man of principle who defended your values, and yes, I can say that you gave me a hard time in Question Period.

My friend, I hope that you will enjoy your well-deserved retirement and that you will spend quality time with your charming wife, Danielle, and your many friends. Once again, on behalf of my entire team, I wish you a happy retirement. I will miss you.

Honourable senators, I rise to pay tribute to my good friend Senator Jean-Guy Dagenais.

When I arrived in the Senate in 2013, I didn’t know many of my new colleagues, Senator Dagenais among them. We had about 60 in our caucus, and I knew a few — Senator Marshall and Senator Manning, of course, and a couple of others — but that’s it.

I reached out to Senator Dagenais prior to a visit to Montreal. I suggested a lunch where we could get to know each other. We met. He apologized for his English; I apologized for my French. And with that, we developed an immediate connection and have been close friends ever since.

In our earlier days, I was invited to speak at the annual general meeting of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Association, the union representing the provincial police. I had a scheduling conflict, and, knowing Senator Dagenais’s background as a police officer and head of the police association in Quebec, I asked him if he wouldn’t mind appearing in my place. He readily agreed, and, of course, it was reported back to me that he was a big hit. They absolutely loved him and still talk about it to this day. I said to the association leadership later that I would be pleased to attend the following year. The president said, “Can we get Senator Dagenais back again?” So I haven’t invited him since.

We know that Jean-Guy and his wife, Danielle, spend as much time as they can in Florida. Even during the pandemic, Senator Dagenais was able to capitalize on our border vulnerabilities. Perhaps he is thinking about the benefits of Canada becoming the fifty-first . . . Well, that’s a discussion for another day.

It is also no secret that he drives the most beautiful and luxurious cars on Parliament Hill. Every one of us who have had the experience of having the parking spot next to him, whether he is driving his Jaguar or his Bentley that day, instantly regrets it, and I know I did when I pulled up next to his car in my old pickup truck.

However, no one ever regrets that he was appointed to the Senate. With his background in security and policing, he has been a great asset, whether speaking to bills that focus on those areas or participating in the Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs. His strong voice is always respected. He has been a valuable asset to our chamber, and we are better off for him having served here.

Regrettably, the time has come for Senator Dagenais to bid farewell to the Senate. This, however, doesn’t mean we must bid farewell to him. We may not be able to see him as often, but, of course, there are regular flights to Florida and an easy train ride to Montreal and the nearby Blainville.

On behalf of the Conservative caucus in the Senate, Senator Dagenais —

 — my dear friend, I wish you all the best in your retirement, and I wish you and Danielle much health and happiness in the years to come.

Colleagues, I am pleased to rise today to pay tribute to our esteemed colleague, my fellow Quebecer, Senator Jean-Guy Dagenais.

Senator Dagenais was appointed to the Senate in 2012, after a long career dedicated to protecting the people of Quebec as a member of the Sûreté du Québec. In fact, Jean-Guy’s passion for public safety runs in the family. It was ingrained in him from a young age, because his father was a career police officer with the Montreal police, and Jean-Guy followed in his footsteps.

Prior to his arrival in the Senate, Senator Dagenais was involved in the labour movement in the policing world. In 2004, he even became president of the Association des policières et policiers provinciaux du Québec, a position he held for seven years. That’s quite an achievement, being the head of a police union. You definitely earned your stripes, Jean-Guy.

As you may be aware, Senator Dagenais’s career path and mine intersected before our respective arrivals in the Senate. Jean-Guy, you’re scared now, I know. In February 2010, when I was the Quebec Ombudsperson, I published a report recommending the creation of an independent body to investigate serious incidents of death or serious injury involving police officers. Needless to say, colleagues, my recommendation did not meet with unanimous approval in the police union community. As you might imagine, then president Dagenais railed against the recommendation, saying that my report illustrated, and I quote, “the ombudsperson’s communication skills, not her policing skills.”

The Quebec government agreed with me, and An Act to amend the Police Act as concerns independent investigations passed on May 9, 2013. I know Jean-Guy will recognize today that both the police officers and the public agree on the remarkable credibility of this independent office, which, in many cases, has served police officers very well. Justice was on the right side.

People say that first impressions can be misleading. Today I am glad that Senator Dagenais and I had a chance to get to know and appreciate each other. Regardless of our differences of opinion, I could see at the time that Senator Dagenais was a man of conviction who was ready to defend and passionately debate the things that are important to him. As a man of principle, Senator Dagenais has never shied away from making courageous and difficult decisions to stay true to his core values. After disagreeing with his political party on several fronts, he chose to leave the security of a party affiliation and sit as an independent during his final years in the Senate. A decision made out of conviction is an honourable one.

Honourable Senator Dagenais, dear Jean-Guy, on behalf of the Independent Senators Group, I wish you all the best for the future. You’re embarking on a new chapter in life, when you’ll get to go back to spending time with your loved ones. I hope you and Danielle enjoy your retirement and this well-deserved quality time together.

Thank you. Meegwetch.

Honourable senators, I rise to pay tribute to Senator Dagenais on behalf of the independent senators of the Progressive Senate Group.

Our colleague is the son of a police officer and served as a member of the Sûreté du Québec for 39 years. Law and order go hand in hand in the Dagenais family.

He started out as a patrol officer in 1972 in Rawdon and quickly moved on to representing his colleagues, which is not surprising given his degree in human resources. In 1996, he became the vice-president of finance of the Association des policières et policiers provinciaux du Québec and later replaced Tony Cannavino as president in 2004.

When he was called upon to negotiate collective agreements, my friend Jacques Dupuis, the then minister of public safety, described Senator Dagenais as a man of imposing stature, which is true, and a tenacious union leader.

In 2011, Jean-Guy left the union to run as a Conservative candidate under Prime Minister Harper, unlike his friend Cannavino, who was a Liberal Party supporter. Jean-Guy was attracted by the law-and-order agenda.

The door to the House of Commons may not have opened, but the door to the Senate did in January 2012.

What set him apart in the Senate was his approach to politics. As president of the association, he was in favour of maintaining the gun registry, but, as a senator, he was in favour of abolishing it.

Yesterday, in an interview, our colleague mentioned that one of his achievements was getting a bill promoting union financial transparency passed despite opposition from the unions.

What I remember most about our warm and friendly colleague is that he was always a man of strong opinions. In 2013, an NDP MP sent her constituents a flyer in which she suggested abolishing the Senate. In response, he wrote an open letter that began, “What a rag!”

He went on to say:

As an NDP MP who would probably never have been elected if not for Quebecers’ spontaneous outpouring of sympathy for Jack Layton . . . you don’t know enough about constitutional matters to be making such allegations. There is a well-stocked library on the subject at your disposal in Parliament. I suggest you make use of it.

In November 2019, he broke ranks with Conservative leader Andrew Scheer and his Senate leader and announced that he was joining the Canadian Senators Group.

In September 2022, armed with a pair of scissors, he cut up his Conservative Party membership card and compared Pierre Poilievre to Donald Trump. His statements are always punchy.

To be fair to our colleague, his strong opinions spare no one, especially not Prime Minister Trudeau and Senator Gold.

My dear Jean-Guy, I wish you and Danielle all the best for the future. I wouldn’t be surprised to see, hear or read more of your punchy comments in the media weeks or months from now.

Happy retirement.