Speaker of the Senate
Speaker’s Statement – Opening of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session
The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you, colleagues; thank you for such a warm welcome.
Honourable senators, our esteemed former Speaker, the Honourable Pierre Claude Nolin, began to speak very briefly to this chamber before he took his place in the chair. My honourable predecessor, Senator Housakos, continued this practice. With your permission and indulgence, allow me, please, to say a few brief words.
I am deeply honoured to have received this appointment from the Governor General, His Excellency David Johnston, and I thank the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, for his confidence in me. I will strive to be worthy of that confidence and I will equally strive to gain your respect and your confidence.
Colleagues, our chamber is at a crossroads. We have an opportunity to work together to recreate how this chamber of the Parliament of Canada does its work for Canadians. Truly, we are entering uncharted waters in which we are invited by the government to reinvent ourselves in a less partisan way and fulfill our role, as envisioned under the Constitution, as an independent chamber of sober second thought.
I know uncertainty can be unsettling, but I have confidence that working together, with respect and commitment to this institution, we can meet the challenges ahead. I have worked closely in the past with my predecessor, Senator Housakos, and he has graciously assured me this morning that that work will continue.
I am confident that as we face these opportunities and challenges together, we can make the Senate work for Canadians in a way that fully realizes the intent of our nation's founders.
Thank you, colleagues.