Speech at the Unveiling of the Official Portrait of the Right Honourable Paul Martin

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Prime Minister Trudeau,
Prime Minister Martin and Mrs. Martin,
Speaker Regan,
Honourable Senators and Members of the House of Commons,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The list of Mr. Martin’s accomplishments is as long and diverse as it is impressive…On behalf of the Senate of Canada, it is a great honour to be here with you today to celebrate the unveiling of the portrait of the 21st prime minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Paul Martin.

At St. Michael’s college and the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law, Mr. Martin was a bright and gifted student of history, philosophy and law…

As a young businessman, he transformed Canada Steamship Lines into a successful, innovative and internationally competitive company…

Following in the footsteps of his father, whose long and accomplished career as a parliamentarian spanned 33 years, Mr. Martin embarked upon a political career in 1988 and was elected to the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament representing LaSalle–Émard.

In 1993, Mr. Martin was named the country’s Minister of Finance and went on to prove himself as one of Canada’s greatest ministers to hold that portfolio…

As prime minister, Mr. Martin left us a legacy of forward-looking policies. It was under his government that same-sex marriage legislation was passed.During his long tenure as finance minister, he was responsible for creating the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, a fund that helped to build the country’s foundation as a smart economy…as well, he introduced the National Child Benefit, a measure that helped lift 23,000 families above the poverty line.

It was his government that negotiated the Kelowna Accord, a historic consensus to eliminate the gaps in the quality of life between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians…

He negotiated a revenue sharing agreement with the provinces…and he instituted a $41 billion dollar program to improve health care across the country.

In the years that followed, Mr. Martin leveraged his experience as Prime Minster to become an important and respected statesman who instituted many global and domestic initiatives……a few of which notably included the African Development Bank, the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa, and the Global Ocean Commission.

His work with Canada’s Indigenous people, especially Indigenous youth, continues to be a tremendous contribution to the country and demonstrates his selfless nature and his passionate approach to finding solutions.

You have been…and continue to be…a model for all Canadians…

I am reminded of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who once said:

“Each man has his own vocation; his talent is his call.
There is one direction in which all space is open to him”

Prime Minister Martin, you sir, found your vocation, your call, where all space was open to you…today we are here to celebrate your accomplishments in that space by unveiling your portrait for all Canadians to see and to celebrate.

On behalf of my Senate colleagues and all Canadians, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your outstanding service to Canada.

Thank you.