From the Rock to the Hill: Portrait of former Senate Speaker Furey unveiled
The official parliamentary portrait of the 45th Speaker of the Senate, the Honourable George J. Furey, K.C., was unveiled at a May 11 ceremony in the Senate of Canada Building.
Newfoundland and Labrador artist Grant Boland depicts the former speaker, who retired in May 2023, seated in the ornately carved 1923 oak chair from which he presided over Senate sittings from 2015 to 2018, the year the Senate relocated to the newly refurbished Senate of Canada Building as the rehabilitation of Centre Block began. The Speaker continued in this role in the Senate’s interim home for a further four and a half years, right up until his retirement.
The flag of Newfoundland and Labrador in the background and a book of provincial history at the Speaker’s elbow allude to the former speaker’s Atlantic roots and to the fact that he is the first Senate Speaker from Canada’s easternmost province.
“It is both humbling and an incredible honour to have been painted by one of Newfoundland’s foremost artists,” he said. “I have long admired Mr. Boland’s work, and particularly his commitment to telling the stories of our province with his art.”
“I am proud that his work will be seen by generations of Canadians who come to visit their Parliament.”
The Speaker
An expert on Canadian law and parliamentary procedure, former speaker Furey’s career has taken him from the East Coast to the nation’s capital — and his advocacy for interparliamentary dialogue has taken him around the world.
Born in St. John’s, Senator Furey began his career as a schoolteacher, eventually becoming Supervising Principal of the Placentia-St. Mary’s Roman Catholic School Board.
After 11 years in education, he began studying law at Dalhousie University and was called to the Newfoundland bar in 1984. His talent for meticulous preparation and clear-headed analysis served him well in the courtroom and he rose to become senior partner at the St. John’s firm of O’Brien, Furey & Smith. He was named to the Provincial Police Complaints Commission in 1993 and made Queen’s Counsel in 1996.
Appointed to the Senate in 1999, his work included chairing the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs and the powerful Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration.
In 2015, he was appointed Speaker.
The artist
The landscape, culture and history of Newfoundland and Labrador permeate the work of St. John’s artist Grant Boland.
Growing up on the shores of St. Mary’s Bay, an hour’s drive south of the capital, Mr. Boland was inspired to pursue an art career by painters Scott Goudie, Christopher Pratt and Mary Pratt — neighbours and close friends with established international followings.
His landscapes, still lifes and character studies hint at complex stories left untold — what the artist calls “unfinished narratives.” His historical paintings explore Newfoundland’s changing industries and traditions, and its horrific sacrifices in the First World War.
He has exhibited in galleries across the country and at some of the country’s most prestigious institutions, including the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador. His portraits of premiers, lieutenant-governors and speakers are on display in the corridors of Newfoundland and Labrador’s House of Assembly.
One of Mr. Boland’s most enthusiastic supporters is the former speaker’s son and Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador Andrew Furey, who proudly displays the artist’s work in his Confederation Hill office in St. John’s.
He was also the point of contact for the Senate portrait, dropping by Mr. Boland’s studio to check on the painting’s progress and vet the likeness of his father as the canvas took shape.
The painting will hang in the Senate of Canada Building, joining portraits of other former Senate speakers. See the collection by taking virtual tours of the Senate of Canada Building and Centre Block.
