Hon. David Arnot: Honourable senators, I rise today on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, a day celebrated in Canada every October 5 since 1994.

On this day, we acknowledge three essential and related facts: First, education is a human right; second, every child has the right to be educated about their rights; and third, teaching is the profession — and the critical public service — that supports those rights.

Every school day, Canadian teachers work with our children, giving them the essential knowledge, information and social experiences they need.

I have profound respect for teachers, based on my personal experience in working with dedicated teacher groups in Saskatchewan as they prepared comprehensive curriculum resources on such important topics as treaties, the treaty relationship, democracy, civics and citizenship education.

Teachers breathe life into the past, reveal the present and work hard to shape the future for our children. Behind such public service, there are many late nights and innumerable hours of curricular and extracurricular oversight, including in the arts, music, drama and sports, as well as science, technology and mathematics.

Teachers need proper resources to support the fundamental learning, understanding and knowledge to advance social progress and ensure a more diverse, equitable and inclusive future.

We cannot forget the unprecedented challenge teachers faced during the pandemic, particularly during the isolation periods. Similarly, we cannot ignore the ongoing, related and new challenges teachers will face in the future.

I am sure all of us in this chamber remember teachers who helped and inspired us in our past. Today teachers are inspiring the next generation to succeed as global citizens. Every day in Canada, teachers are our front-line heroes.

Honourable senators, on this World Teachers’ Day, please join me in thanking our Canadian teachers, past, present and future.