Hon. Marilou McPhedran: My question is to Senator Gold, and it relates to Canada’s newly released Indo-Pacific Strategy. It also picks up on comments that were made yesterday at the University of Ottawa by China’s ambassador, where he referred specifically to a point in the strategy that says that China is an increasingly disruptive global power.

Ambassador Cong was quoted as saying:

Unfortunately it seems that Canada has followed the United States practice of creating division and of fomenting confrontation in the region.

He went on to say:

When it comes to China, it distorted facts (and) hyped up the so-called China threat and infringed upon China’s internal affairs. We firmly oppose it.

Senator Gold, it is said that diplomacy works best not only talking to our friends. With these developments, please update us on how Canada will keep lines of communication open with this global power, especially in these tense times.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. No Canadian is surprised at the response of the Chinese ambassador and of the Chinese government. They do not like to be called out for their human rights abuses, for their expansionist pretensions in the region and for all the other ways in which it’s flouting international norms that it has profited by for many years.

The Indo-Pacific policy announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs is designed both to strengthen our relationships in the region and, quite frankly, to provide a buffer and counterpoint to the aspects of Chinese assertiveness in the region. But as the minister said, we will confront China where necessary. We will cooperate where also necessary, whether it’s on the issue of climate change.

Let’s be frank: The Canadian and Chinese economies have grown to be very interdependent. Many sectors, including the agricultural sector, are heavily dependent, and we have to manage this difficult relationship with finesse, but also with firmness, and that is exactly what this policy aims to do.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I have the honour to inform the Senate that the Clerk of the Senate has received a certificate from the Registrar General of Canada showing that Leonard Andrew Cardozo has been summoned to the Senate.

[Translation]

Hon. Andrew Cardozo, of Ottawa, Ontario, introduced between Hon. Marc Gold, P.C., and Hon. Patti LaBoucane-Benson.

The Hon. the Speaker informed the Senate that the honourable senator named above had made and subscribed the Declaration of Qualification required by the Constitution Act, 1867, in the presence of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel, the Commissioner appointed to receive and witness the said declaration.

[English]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, on behalf of my colleagues in the Government Representative Office, I would like to welcome Senator Andrew Cardozo to the Senate of Canada.

While new to this chamber, Senator Cardozo is familiar to many of us through his writing, whether for his monthly contributions to The Hill Times, as a regular columnist for the Toronto Star or as a contributor on timely and important issues in other major newspapers.

[Translation]

As founder of the Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy, he has focused on multiculturalism, anti-racism, diversity and equity, broadcasting and cultural policy as well as skills development — particularly, and most recently, the future of work. His knowledge and experience in all of these areas will be a valuable asset to the Red Chamber.

[English]

In a recent interview, Senator Cardozo stated that, as a former CRTC commissioner, he is proudest of being part of the panel that approved the licence for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, which is still going strong more than two decades later.

Besides all of his professional achievements, Senator Cardozo has been an active volunteer with the YMCA-YWCA, the Vancouver Institute of Media Arts and with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa. He was honoured as Big Brother of the Year.

Honourable colleagues, please join me in welcoming Senator Andrew Cardozo.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, today I rise to pay tribute to former senator Jean Lapointe, who passed away on November 18. I sympathize with all who remember him as a friend.

As a senator, he made many contributions, but people will remember him first and foremost as an actor, singer and comic, an entertainer who spent decades making audiences laugh. His influence on the arts in my province, Quebec, cannot be overstated.

In 1955, he and Jérôme Lemay founded Les Jérolas — the name was a combination of Jérôme and Lapointe — a duo whose blend of music and comedy delighted spectators. Their popularity earned them a coveted appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1963 and a sold-out show at the Olympia in Paris. They often appeared on stage at Montreal’s most popular cabarets, such as Charivari and La Barak, as well as at venues like Chez Gérard, La Porte Saint-Jean, Le Coronet and Eldorado.

In his career as an actor, former Senator Lapointe won a Genie award and a Jutra award in 2004 for his role in Érik Canuel’s film Le dernier tunnel. He was honoured at the Just for Laughs gala in 2005 to mark his fiftieth anniversary in the entertainment industry. He was also inducted into the Order of Canada and appointed as an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec. According to his daughter Anne Elizabeth, he was particularly proud of La Maison Jean Lapointe, an addictions treatment centre he founded in 1982 after fighting his own battle with alcoholism.

Quebec lost one of its beloved children, whose career began in Montreal’s smoky nightclubs in the 1950s and 1960s. He appeared in the most watched program of that decade, he performed on Paris’ most famous stage, and he later served with honour in the Senate of Canada. During his last speech in the Red Chamber, he summarized his career as follows, and I quote: “I did not come here to fight; I came here to try to bring a little peace.”

In 2011, as an artist, he told La Presse the following, and I quote:

I don’t think an artist retires. I’ve still got that fire in my belly. As long as I can move, I will keep going. This is my whole life.

That’s exactly what he did.

Jean Lapointe is survived by his wife Mercédès, his seven children and his two grandsons. I wish to express my sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

[Translation]

Hon. Scott Tannas: On behalf of the Canadian Senators Group, I add my voice today in welcoming Senator Andrew Cardozo to the Senate of Canada.

When you were appointed, your biography said the following:

Andrew Cardozo is a recognized expert on public policy, a columnist, and artist. A think-tank leader, his public policy areas of expertise span Canadian government and politics . . . .

As a think-tank leader, you are known for presenting bold new ideas to address sometimes complex issues. I have no doubt that these ideas will find a welcome audience, and maybe, now that you’re inside the policy-making machine, your proposals will move forward into action.

I read with interest your November 4, 2019, article in The Hill Times, in which you provided some bold proposals to deal with a lack of representation for Alberta and Saskatchewan in policy making at the higher echelons of the Government of Canada. You recommended the appointment to cabinet of some of our Senate colleagues, right here in this chamber, from Alberta and Saskatchewan. They’re sitting here now. I sadly noted that I was not on your list. I hope to impress you in the future, and we hope that you will continue with those bold ideas that so many Canadians noticed, admired and identified with.

Welcome again, sir. Your perspective is very welcome here: It’s needed.

On behalf of the Canadian Senators Group, we all look forward to working with you.

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

(At 5:17 p.m., the Senate was continued until tomorrow at 2 p.m.)

Hon. Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia: Honourable senators, it is my pleasure to rise to speak to Senator Simons’ inquiry that calls on our chamber to explore the challenges and opportunities that municipalities face, and the importance of understanding and redefining the relationship between Canada’s municipalities and our federal government.

Echoing the sentiments of our honourable colleagues Senators Simons, Cotter, Forest and Sorensen, I would like to emphasize that our constitutional architecture was created in 1867 at a time when 80% of people did not live in municipalities. Now it’s the reverse where most people do.

Our municipalities are the frontline of governance and have the most impact on people’s daily needs, including things such as garbage collection, public transportation, health care services and affordable housing among other services. This drastic shift leaves us with the questions and issues on scales that were never contemplated at the time of Confederation.

From a constitutional perspective, municipalities are creatures of statutes. They only have the powers that are devolved from the province. They have no independent constitutional status meaning the province can take away these powers at will. As our colleagues have outlined, recent Supreme Court of Canada decisions have indicated those municipal powers should be interpreted broadly.

This leads us to the question that Senator Simons has raised: What role does the federal government play in helping support municipalities carry out their essential functions while recognizing the constitutional constraints?

Representing the province of Newfoundland and Labrador at this level, I would like to take this as an opportunity to share what my provincial government has been exploring to further enable our municipalities to respond to the ever-evolving issues raised by residents.

I would like to thank City of St. John’s councillor for Ward 4, Ian Froude, as well as the CEO of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, Craig Pollet, for all the work they do for our municipal governments, and for sharing with me their experience and expertise in addressing these critical issues.

First, I would like to start by providing a bit of historical context for the municipal sector in Newfoundland and Labrador, which is relatively young. The first municipal incorporation was in St. John’s in 1888, followed by Windsor Station in 1938, almost fifty years later, which was later renamed Windsor. Windsor eventually amalgamated with the town of Grand Falls.

Most of the municipalities today were incorporated in the 1960s and 1970s. At one point, there were well over 300 municipalities and over 1,000 communities. This accelerated pace of development, after 50 years of dormancy, was driven primarily by the financial supports that appeared in the initial decade or so after Newfoundland and Labrador’s confederation with Canada in 1949.

Funding was available to support much-needed infrastructure work, but few communities had the organizational capacity to receive or manage this financial support. Hence, municipal councils became the primary means of receiving funds, and incorporation was encouraged across the province.

Today, most municipal governments play a much more complex and embedded role in the lives of the residents they serve. In addition, the legislative and regulatory environments in which municipal governments operate have become much more complex and demanding.

Many simply do not have the administrative, financial or technical capacity to comply with the legislative requirements, such as financial reporting, bylaw enforcement, federal waste water effluent regulations, workplace health and safety regulations and drinking water and waste water system requirements.

Currently, Newfoundland and Labrador has a population of approximately 530,000 people and there are 275 municipalities scattered across my province, wherein 78% of our municipalities have a population of fewer than 1,000 residents. The sheer number of communities and the duplication of services have created a huge administrative and financial strain. Towns are facing significant challenges, such as aging populations, out‑migration, uncontested elections, the ability to form committees and councils and a lack of economic opportunities.

Some municipalities are struggling to deliver services to remain viable. Many towns are becoming unsustainable, and are unable to engage in economic development or attract new residents, businesses and professionals such as health care providers. It is clear that we need to take steps to help support the governing structure that municipalities operate within.

Building on public consultations and extensive research, a joint working group on regionalization was established in 2020 to make recommendations to the Minister of Municipal and Provincial Affairs on a plan for regionalization. It was compromised of representatives of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, the professional municipal administrators and representatives from the Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs.

A thorough review and analysis of the recommendations are currently being conducted by my government in Newfoundland and Labrador, with the goal of finalizing a comprehensive plan for regionalization for the province. Regionalization would allow for well-integrated planning, more transparent and accountable municipal governments, improved administration and operational capacities, fair and equitable taxation and the ability to attract and welcome new residents, professionals and tourists.

Municipalities are experiencing great examples of community-sharing services, and they are already seeing these benefits. These examples include access to regional economic development opportunities, fire protection services, land-use planning and infrastructure planning including water systems. Building upon existing collaborations and service sharing will help position communities for economic growth and the ability to be sustainable. By pooling resources, regional governments enhance capacity of what municipalities are able to offer to their residents.

Honourable senators, healthy and sustainable communities are the building blocks of a prosperous province and a prosperous country. Woven together, they comprise the social fabric of a dynamic, robust nation. I hope that we can continue to investigate within and beyond this chamber how all levels of government can collaborate to help support our vibrant communities within Newfoundland and Labrador and across all provinces and territories from coast to coast to coast.

Thank you, wela’lioq.

Hon. Hassan Yussuff: Honourable senators, I rise in support of Senator Coyle’s climate inquiry. I do this in the context of my previous life, but I speak to it now in the Senate.

As folks were meeting in Egypt just last week at the COP 27 meeting, we learned that we may not meet our stated objective of lowering the temperature in the world by 1.5 degrees. While many of us may not be dismayed about this, I think we should all be extremely worried.

This is not the first time we have been told that the objectives set by the UN and by many of our national governments are not achievable. Every time we are told we have to make a different choice, it makes me wonder — as a human being, but also as a father — what this planet will look like in the near future.

As governments continue to struggle with how they’re going to achieve this objective, we’re witnessing challenges around the world every single day that we have not previously seen in our lifetime: Fires rage out of control, and we can’t seem to find the resolve as to how we’re going to deal with it. Storms that we have never seen in our lifetime are raging and destroying our communities. We ask ourselves the most basic question about whether we can do something about this. We know what the answer is, but we don’t have the resolve to take the necessary steps.

There is the loss of biodiversity — almost every day, we’re told that there is a new animal or species at risk. We’re not sure if they’re going to exist on this planet within our lifetime — never mind the loss of life every time one of these storms or fires rages, whether it’s in our communities here in Canada, or around the world.

The ocean is also warming — I continue to watch some documentaries — and we’re asking ourselves questions. How long can this continue before we are truly going to be in a crisis position we cannot resolve?

My friends, I know many of the questions we’re going to be struggling with regarding the climate are not easy ones. I know this as the former president of the Canadian Labour Congress. Our country made a commitment to phase out coal-fired generation by 2030. There are four provinces in our country — soon to be three — that are still using coal to generate electricity. It’s part of who we are. As a matter of fact, if you go back in Canada’s history, coal is the foundation of the Industrial Revolution. The workers and communities that benefitted from this didn’t do anything wrong. Today we know — the science tells us — that burning coal is not good for the environment or human health, nor is it good for the climate.

However, to ask a worker to give up their job, and stop burning coal because it’s the right thing to do should not be seen as an easy thing — never mind the communities that are going to be impacted by this. When you shut down a coal-fired plant, you take away the resources that are generated from that facility; you also take away the tax base that workers depend upon to build their municipality and grow the services they provide. The list goes on.

We can plan to do all of these things in a timely manner. But we did make a commitment to stop burning coal to generate electricity in our country by 2030. In Saskatchewan, we still burn coal to generate electricity. In Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, we’re still doing this. But 2030 is the objective.

I was asked to co-chair a task force to go out and talk to workers, employers and communities about how we can do this in a way that makes political sense. It was not easy, because talking to workers as a union leader, and telling these workers that their jobs will disappear, is not exactly a pleasant thing you should consciously do unless you’re committed to the greater good. I do realize it was an important thing to be done. After all, I’ve been advocating for solutions to the climate.

I believe workers have an important role to play in dealing with these challenges. As much as they’re not at fault, they have an important role to play. At two conventions, I was the president of the congress. We devoted an entire day to talking about climate change. Why was that important? Because I don’t believe any government can achieve its climate objective unless workers are part of the solution. They will be impacted. Their jobs will be impacted. Their family life and community will be impacted.

I went about my responsibility to talk to workers. As I went to places, it wasn’t easy. Many workers didn’t want to hear it. In many of the communities, and in many of the facilities, workers were making anywhere between $60,000 and $100,000 a year doing this kind of work, and here I was telling them they had to give this up because that was the decision made by their provincial and federal governments. It was not an easy conversation, but many of the unions that represent these workers agreed that this is an objective we should try to accomplish.

Before I went to Saskatchewan, I was told that I shouldn’t go because I would be met with hostility. I told my colleagues that I accepted that as a responsibility and guidance. I told them that none of them had to come, but I had to go.

I did go to Saskatchewan. I met the wonderful people who work in those coal-fired communities. The first thing they asked me was how much I was being paid to do what I was doing. I was wise enough to know not to accept one single honorarium or one penny from the government to co-chair the task force. I said I wasn’t being paid to do this, but I recognized it was necessary.

They wanted to know what was going to happen to their community. What would happen to their housing prices? What would happen to their families? Would they have to pick up and move? I didn’t have the answers for them. That is what we were trying to assess. But, in the process of talking to them, I recognized they were equally as hopeful as I was that we could figure this out. They know the science, and that burning coal does not match with the reality of when they first entered the industry.

We — here in Ontario — did phase out coal-fired generation. We learned lots from that process. As a result of that, today many of the kids in this province can run out in the summertime, and play in the streets and on playgrounds — and we don’t have any more smog alert days to tell them they have to get inside and hide from the outdoors if they have asthma or some breathing challenges.

Saskatchewan, Alberta, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick will have to meet this challenge as to how to phase out coal. But in the process of that, I learned lots: Unless we engage the workers and communities in this conversation, we will be faced with a lot of opposition regarding how to phase out coal. More importantly, with the greater challenge being how to transform the economy to a greener economy, we have to recognize that we cannot discard workers, and simply think we can let them fend for themselves.

We did make 10 recommendations to the federal government — unanimously, all supported by the entire task force. Of course, now the federal government and the provinces have to work to ensure we can meet these objectives.

Equally, the federal government will have to ensure a just transition, as is stated in the UN goal — the Paris Agreement — is something that we can say proudly, as Canada, we are able to do to show workers there is a path forward for them doing the right things.

What I did learn, more importantly, is that as Canadians, too often we talk at each other, not talk with each other. I think with the climate challenge that we face in this country, and as we face around the world, we’re going to have to find more ways to talk to each other about what we can all do to achieve this objective.

I think Senator Coyle’s climate change inquiry is about how we have more conversations across this country.

I’ve been fortunate in my history of working in the labour movement to have been to every corner of this great land of ours. I have never seen a place more beautiful in my entire life. I wish every Canadian would have the same opportunity I’ve had. I have met the wonderful people of this great country. All want to contribute to this, but we have to find a better way as to how to talk to each other to find a way to collaborate.

I know this is not an easy objective. In Alberta, they’re just about finished with their coal-fired generation. They’ve converted those facilities to gas as an interim measure, as they will continue to make other measures to deal with the challenges of how they generate electricity.

In Saskatchewan, they’re now embarking on that process. They will have to figure out how they get there, because coal-fired generation is the only way to generate electricity to a large extent to meet the needs of the people of Saskatchewan.

Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are likely to get some of Newfoundland’s power. They will be on stream very soon. It will help them get off of coal-fired generation. But it is only one step.

More importantly, what Senator Coyle’s inquiry is about is how we have these conversations as Canadians because in the context of the climate challenge, we in Canada have to show leadership on this. More importantly, if we are to meet our 2030 and 2050 goals, time is not on our side. We are going to have to move much faster.

I want to conclude, colleagues, by saying that, like many of you, we’re all wondering, every time we see a terrible storm that disrupts our community or a terrible forest fire that our colleagues in some part of this great land are struggling with, how we can avoid that. I know there may not be any answers. Senator Ravalia just talked about how we can work better with municipalities. Our municipalities are not fully equipped to deal with climate challenges. They were built at a time when the infrastructure didn’t envision what’s coming with storms. How do we revitalize them if we want to achieve the greater good of living in a society where we can actually meet our needs but also make sure our municipalities are going to remain vibrant to provide the services they do?

I want to conclude on a hopeful note. I may not be here on this planet for another hundred years. I know that for a fact. But my young daughter, who is now 14 and might inherit this great country as she grows up, keeps asking me, “Dad, is that animal likely to be around by the time I get to be your age?” I looked at her and I said, “I can’t say for certain.” That’s a terrible thing to tell a child. My parents didn’t tell me that. Why am I telling my child this?

The reality, colleagues, is we’re going to have to do better. As Canadians, we can do better. Some of the solutions being found to deal with the climate challenge are real, they’re in front of us. We’re going to have to invest more in them. Equally, we’re going to have to work harder with each other if we’re going to get there.

To conclude, I want to thank my friend for putting forward the great idea about an inquiry because it will allow us to talk to each other and hopefully find greater consensus to make this country an even better place. Thank you so much.

Senator Yussuff: Thank you for the question. Not only did I hear about it, I actually saw it first-hand in use. There is a cost associated with it. The technology does work but there is a cost associated with it.

It is true that carbon capture technology has evolved significantly since the development in Saskatchewan, and it’s being used in many parts of the world. I can’t speak about what China is going to do, but I know in Canada we can do better. The creation of this technological development shows the creativity in Canada, the many things we’re going to have to tackle and how we can come up with ideas and solutions.

I know for the most part that burning coal as a way to generate electricity may be something of the past, but the technology that was developed in Saskatchewan has much broader use not only here in Canada but throughout the world.

Others are learning from this. I was just in Norway and they’re going to use carbon capture technology to capture carbon in one place and they’re going to store it in the North Sea. That technology exists. The market is now supporting that to happen. Much has been learned from the great people of Saskatchewan in terms of what they did. I’m hopeful the next time I go back to Saskatchewan, which I promised to do next summer, to visit some of the communities that I was a part of; they have made much headway in the challenges they face in how they’re going to deal with the coal phase-out in the near future but also be able to continue to generate electricity to meet the needs of the people of Saskatchewan.

(On motion of Senator Clement, debate adjourned.)

Senator Yussuff: Yes.

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Honourable senators, I, too, would like to all too briefly pay tribute to the Honourable Jean Lapointe, an important figure in Quebec, known for his songs and for his great talent as a composer, comedian, impersonator and actor.

Though he is dead, he will continue to live on in the hearts and minds of Quebecers through the lasting memories he created and his remarkable philanthropic institution, La Maison Jean Lapointe, which, for 40 years, has been helping men and women escape the clutches of alcoholism as he did himself.

He joined this chamber rather unexpectedly in 2001 and held the position for nine years as “a Liberal in quotation marks,” as he was fond of saying. He never liked political posturing in the Senate and he was not shy about speaking out about the ways time was being wasted, something that still happens all too often today.

As Senator Saint-Germain pointed out, in his maiden speech in the Senate, Senator Lapointe proposed to reduce the time spent on the “tributes occasioned by deaths,” which he described as interminably long. Mr. Lapointe, wherever you are today, we’re listening to you and we allocated only 15 minutes to your tributes when you deserve hours of them.

Even though politics made him “unhappy” and “disappointed,” in 2022, he still saw the Senate as “the guardian angel of the people, of minorities and of the poor.”

He arrived in Ottawa a declared and staunch federalist, and said shortly after his retirement that he understood the realty of the two solitudes, saying about Quebecers, and I quote, “We don’t think the same way, we’re not made the same way.”

In an interview with Patrice Roy from Radio-Canada television a few months ago, he said, “One day or another, Quebec will be independent. That’s my wish.”

Those who worked with him unanimously describe him as spirited and tormented, but very compassionate. He sung to Quebecers about things they could relate to.

To his daughter Anne Elizabeth, to his son, Jean-Marie, and to the other members of the Lapointe family, I offer my deepest condolences on the passing of one of our greats.

Thank you.

[English]

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Honourable Senator Andrew Cardozo, my colleagues in the Senate Conservative Caucus join me in wishing you the warmest of welcomes to the Senate of Canada. Today, you are officially embarking on a new chapter of your life. I’m sure all my Senate colleagues will agree that every new swearing-in ceremony calls us back to reflect on our own and that we have all shared in the excitement and anticipation you are likely feeling today.

This day will forever represent a special moment in your history — one that is marked above all by the honour that has been bestowed upon you and the weight of the responsibility that has been entrusted to you.

As you look ahead to your future in the upper chamber, I hope it is of great reassurance to you that you are not only being called to serve in one of our country’s greatest institutions but being welcomed to a new family — the Senate family. While our Senate family is made up of many varying opinions and perspectives that often cause us to disagree, we are all united in our goal and duty, which is to ensure that the best interests of all Canadians are served and represented.

I trust you will keep that at the forefront of your service to Ontarians and all Canadians in the years to come.

Senator Cardozo, your experience and talents are a welcome addition, which will undoubtedly enrich the debates and dialogues of this chamber. Your rich background in public policy and commitment to the issues that are important to you will guide you in your journey in this institution and make for tremendous contributions to the future of the Senate.

I, along with the rest of our Senate colleagues, look forward to the unique perspective you will bring to our deliberations, and we are eager to work collaboratively with you to deliver the best results for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

On behalf of the Senate Conservative Caucus, congratulations and welcome to the upper chamber.

[Translation]

Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, on behalf of my colleagues in the Progressive Senate Group, I’m pleased to join with other leaders in welcoming another new voice to this chamber.

Senator Cardozo, I couldn’t resist finding some apt words from former Prime Minister Pearson in recognition of him being the namesake of your think tank. He once said:

We must keep on trying to solve problems, one by one, stage by stage, if not on the basis of confidence and cooperation, at least on that of mutual toleration and self-interest.

I’m sure, Senator Cardozo, you’re aware of the source, but for the benefit of others who might not, that was part of his Nobel Lecture on peace, delivered before he was prime minister. He was speaking about diplomacy during the Cold War. Although this speech was delivered 65 years ago, I think we can all imagine a time of tension between Washington and Moscow.

It is my belief that those words can also be of use here as you take your place in the upper chamber. We, too, are trying to solve problems, and although you will find differing proposed solutions — and that is a good thing — it is often necessary to remind ourselves that we all have the same self-interest: trying to make this country, Canada — and indeed, the world — a better place.

Senator Cardozo, you describe yourself on LinkedIn as a “wanna-be thinker in search of better ideas.” In this day and age, we can find things everywhere, Senator Cardozo. I certainly hope that you find some here. I know I speak for all Progressive senators when I say that we look forward to hearing what ideas you have brought with you.

On behalf of the Progressive Senate Group, welcome to the Senate of Canada. We look forward to working with you.

Hon. Raymonde Saint-Germain: Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to a great Quebecer, an exceptional man who left his mark both on Quebec and the entire country. We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of the Honourable Jean Lapointe.

Above all, I want to express my deepest condolences to his family, his fans and all those from whom he commanded — and will continue to command — admiration and respect. During his maiden speech in the Senate, the Honourable Jean Lapointe shared his views on tributes like the one we are paying him today. He said, and I quote:

I humbly offer a suggestion that would no doubt reduce the time spent on the interminably long tributes occasioned by deaths, retirements, or celebrations of famous people.

I realize that on such occasions some of our colleagues use the opportunity to speak more about themselves. My suggestion is therefore as follows. In the event of a death, or when tributes are made to living persons, I suggest that both Senate leaders make a short speech to mark the occasion.

The good old times.

There may be exceptional circumstances, where people acknowledge that a colleague was a very close personal friend of the departed, and I can accept this.

As you can see, he was very diplomatic.

I’ll be brief, dear colleagues, in order to respect his wishes and in honour of his courage to speak to the Senate at the first opportunity made available to him about a matter of general interest. I’ll be brief, but I hope nevertheless to do justice to a man with such a brilliant and rich career.

Jean Lapointe was an artist of a thousand talents, a singer-songwriter, humourist and comedian, and throughout his professional life he was generous with his talent and his accomplishments, in this place and elsewhere.

The great success of his duo Les Jérolas earned him two invitations to “The Ed Sullivan Show,” in 1963 and 1967, which was a first for a Quebec duo. They made an appearance even before the Beatles on that prestigious American show, in addition to appearing twice at the Olympia in Paris, the ultimate venue at the time for francophone artists.

As a senator, Jean Lapointe dedicated himself primarily to defending the interests of people grappling with a gambling or substance addiction. This cause that he championed was a major theme throughout his personal and professional life.

He embodied a model of courage that required you to never deny, to get back up again and again, to succeed and to give back. His legacy will remain in our collective memory and live on through La Maison Jean Lapointe, which he established and which continues to help the vulnerable.

It is thanks to him that many people now find the strength to ask for help and receive the help they need. For this, as well as the artistic and compassionate legacy he leaves behind, my message to him is, “Bravo, Honourable Jean Lapointe.”

[English]

Hon. Scott Tannas: Honourable senators, I rise to pay tribute to the late Jean Lapointe, a senator from Saurel, Quebec. He was an actor, singer, comedian and philanthropist before later becoming a senator. He was a true artist in every sense of the word.

He began his career in the arts playing characters in Quebec cabarets in the fifties, and became half of the comedic group Les Jérolas until 1974. He was also a movie and TV star with 36 acting credits, including playing Maurice Duplessis in a TV miniseries in 1978, showing that he was clearly destined to be in politics later in life. As a singer-songwriter, he recorded 18 albums, and wrote and performed some classic music known to an entire generation of young, school-aged francophones across Canada.

Throughout his life, Jean Lapointe battled personal demons with addiction. In 1982, an addiction treatment centre in Montreal was renamed La Maison Jean Lapointe for which he was a board member. To support the centre, the Jean Lapointe Foundation was founded, and today supports youth centres in Montreal and Trois-Rivières. These centres have treated over 38,000 individuals with addictions.

He was named to the Senate in 2001 and sat in this place until 2010. His personal background dominated his work in the Senate, where he introduced numerous bills to limit the location of video lottery terminals — which are highly addictive to some — to locations where gambling already occurs such as casinos and racetracks.

Senator Lapointe was an Officer of the Order of Canada. His passing is a loss for Quebec, for the arts community and for francophones across Canada.