Honourable senators, today I would like to pay tribute to a remarkable senator, a colleague who has been recognized for the excellent work she has done over the past four decades. She brings honour to this house and is most deserving of our gratitude and admiration.

A woman of influence, a woman of exceptional accomplishment, a woman of exemplary character and a woman of endurance were the criteria for the YWCA Regina's Women of Distinction Lifetime Achievement Award. Senator Raynell Andreychuk was named the recipient. The YWCA news release said:

Senator Andreychuk's distinguished 40-year career as lawyer, judge, diplomat, and Senator has demonstrated exceptional dedication to promoting freedom, democracy and human rights throughout the world.

They called her "an aspiring model of principled leadership."

This senator was appointed a judge of the Saskatchewan Provincial Court and set up a family court in Regina before I was even in high school.

Senator Andreychuk was appointed High Commissioner to Kenya, Uganda, Somalia and the Comoros, off the south-east coast of Africa. She then became the Ambassador to Portugal. She knows what's going on in the world, she knows how people live, and it is important to her to share that with us. That is why chairing the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade is such a perfect fit for her and enables her to play an essential role.

Why did Senator Andreychuk leave such a promising career to join us here in the upper house? I think it's because she realized that she could make an exceptional contribution. She has done extraordinary work since her appointment, which explains why the first Saskatchewan woman appointed to the Senate chose to work with us for over two decades.

She has discussed difficult subjects — rape and starvation used as weapons of war, used to dehumanize people. She called on Iran to release thousands of prisoners of conscience who have political or religious views not tolerated by their own governments. She has even been banned from entering Russia over her defence of Ukraine — one of only 13 Canadians on such a list. She is a person of conviction who inspires purpose and action in others.

The senator played a key role in establishing the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights, which she chaired from 2001 to 2009 and where she led important studies such as the study on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Senator Andreychuk had this to say about the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and I quote:

. . . human rights remain a distant aspiration for girls forced into marriage, for boys forced into labour, for religious minorities and political prisoners, for ethnic minorities, for LGBT communities and so many more.

It is unfortunate, but she is right.

Senator Andreychuk was appointed Canada's permanent representative to three United Nations organizations.

The inalienable rights of all members of the human family are the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, she has reminded us.

She has been bestowed with many honours over her life, several linked to her unwavering and determined human rights work for the people of Ukraine, honouring her own Ukrainian heritage. The woman is a humanitarian machine.

As we tell her how much we value her, she's told us how much she values us back, through her work and through her words. "I cherish any institution in a democracy, no matter how old it is," she once told a journalist who was asking about the relevance of the Senate.

Senator Andreychuk will be presented with the YWCA Regina's Women of Distinction for Lifetime Achievement Award at a gala on April 28.

 Please accept our congratulations, Senator Andreychuk, for a well-deserved honour. We are very proud of you.