The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I received a notice from the Leader of the Progressive Senate Group who requests, pursuant to rule 4-3(1), that the time provided for the consideration of Senators’ Statements be extended today for the purpose of paying tribute to the Honourable Patricia Bovey, who will retire from the Senate on May 15, 2023.

I remind senators that, pursuant to our rules, each senator, other than Senator Bovey, will be allowed only three minutes and they may speak only once.

Is it agreed that we continue our tributes to our colleague Senator Bovey under Senators’ Statements? We will therefore have up to 33 minutes for tributes, not including the time allotted for Senator Bovey’s response. Any time remaining after tributes would be used for other statements.

Senator Plett: — and so Liberal. The 2020 report co-authored by Jennifer Robson from Carleton University estimated that 10% to 12% of Canadians don’t file their taxes. And although there are non-filers across all income groups, they are most heavily concentrated in lower income brackets.

In a recent letter to the Minister of Finance, Stephen Buffalo, President and CEO of the Indian Resource Council, noted that non-filers include the majority of First Nations people. I quote:

The majority of people living on reserve do not file returns because they are exempt from paying income taxes. Most First Nations people living off reserve are low-income who do not file a tax return either. . . . These facts are not in dispute.

Associate Minister Boissonnault’s depiction of non-filers is despicable. It shows how out of touch this government is with reality. Because make no mistake about it colleagues — this benefit will not provide a single cent to those who need it most.

Going back to Ms. Robson’s report, 10% to 12% of Canadians, the majority of whom are in lower income brackets, are by design being entirely left out of this benefit. It is a cost-of-living relief bill that provides no relief from the cost of living for the most vulnerable — zero.

Regrettably, colleagues, there is nothing that we in this chamber can do about that. We cannot initiate money bills, so we are stuck with approving, amending or defeating the junk legislation that this government sends over here. Yet, the government consistently pressures us to rush deficient bills through, and if we do not move quickly enough, they have now decided to use the hammer of time allocation because that is easier than having a conversation, apparently.

Senator Batters: Or answering questions.

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to our esteemed colleague Senator Pat Bovey.

Since 2016, Senator Bovey has made important contributions to our debates here in the chamber, and in serving on the Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Rules, Transport and Communications, and Official Languages, as well as on the Special Committee on the Arctic.

As the first art historian and museologist to be appointed to the Senate, Senator Bovey has not only brought to our attention some of the pressing issues that Canadian artists face, but she has also been instrumental in showcasing the representations and visual voices of Canadians here on Senate premises. For example, she was the first to showcase the work of Black Canadian artists whose art is too often neglected in Canadian society. When visitors come to tour the Senate of Canada building and admire its art, their experience is very much enhanced by Senator Bovey’s leadership.

During the Forty-second Parliament, Senator Bovey served as the Senate sponsor of Bill C-55 — which brought forward important changes to the Oceans Act to create more marine protected areas off our coastlines, and was critical in advancing key components of the Government of Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan. Thanks to her leadership and advocacy, our country has made incredible strides in better protecting our precious marine and coastal areas, which are vital to our environmental health.

Over the years, Senator Bovey has been equally engaged in her home province of Manitoba. For example, she led the way in launching an inquiry into the 2018 tragic train derailment in northern Manitoba, which took the lives of two men from The Pas. And I am aware that she participates in walks with the Bear Clan Patrol on the streets of Winnipeg, lending a hand in picking up needles and helping some of the most vulnerable Winnipeggers, who are in distress and face hardships.

[Translation]

Our paths crossed many times over the years, whether at the Université de Saint-Boniface, where she worked as an arts management consultant, at St. Boniface Hospital’s Buhler Gallery, where she worked as the director and curator, or at the University of Manitoba, where she chaired the board of governors. However, I am grateful for the fact that we became fast friends in the Senate of Canada and in airports — yes, airports.

Pat, you are a passionate, caring woman, an experienced historian, a relationship builder and a strong and inclusive voice for artists.

[English]

Thank you, Pat, for your contribution to the Senate of Canada.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I also rise today to pay tribute to our colleague, my friend from my wonderful province, the province of Manitoba, Senator Patricia Bovey.

Senator Bovey, as has already been mentioned, was the first art historian and museologist appointed to the Senate of Canada. I embarrassingly had to look up what a museologist is, but now I know. Her lens for art and culture made her a natural fit to become the chair of the Senate Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group. Senator Bovey had a personal goal of ensuring that the voices of art and culture be heard, and she has worked diligently towards that goal.

Senator Bovey, I believe everyone in this chamber will agree to at least one thing: The Senate has certainly become a more enjoyable and visual experience since your presence here. Your passion for art has not only made its way to the walls of our buildings or been featured on a Senate website but has also succeeded in creating an impact in our hearts and collective culture. Your passion and the many initiatives you have taken on to showcase Canadian galleries and museums, such as the museums at the Senate, will forever stay with us.

Senator Bovey — Pat — I will miss our discussions that we had at the Winnipeg airport and other places about a mutual passion that we have, and that is our grandchildren. So many times you have shared your experiences with your grandchildren overseas and I with my grandchildren here. Senator Bovey, I will miss having those chats. I will miss being on the airplane because many times we were on the same side of the aisle, and that was a pleasure.

On behalf of the Conservative caucus, I wish you a happy and fruitful retirement. I hope it is your greatest creation. Knowing you, I know it will be a beautiful work of art.

God bless you. Enjoy your retirement, and enjoy your grandchildren.

Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson: Honourable senators, I, too, rise to pay tribute to the first art historian to be appointed to the Senate of Canada. It’s never easy to take on the mantle as the first of anything. Senator Bovey has brought art into many aspects of the Senate, whether through her bill, An Act respecting the Declaration on the Essential Role of Artists and Creative Expression in Canada — which passed in the Senate — or in the art showings she has organized throughout the precinct. The Senate’s appreciation for art will forever be changed by her advocacy.

However, I got to know Senator Bovey on a different level when she was the deputy chair of the Special Committee on the Arctic, which I was privileged to chair. Through that committee, I got to see first-hand the passion that Senator Bovey has for Canada’s Arctic. I saw how eager she was to learn about the lived experiences of northerners and how hard she worked to help address the many issues facing the North.

At the time, there was only one senator appointed for the entire Arctic — our colleagues Senators Anderson and Duncan had yet to be appointed — so finding Senator Bovey, who was such a willing and capable ally, was a refreshing and major relief. We travelled together throughout the Arctic, and that brings with it a special bond.

Northern Lights: A wake-up call for the future of Canada was the report we produced, and it brought forward one key recommendation above all recommendations: that decisions about the North be for the North and by the North. This shows that passion I spoke of earlier. She joined me as we insisted that this recommendation be written several times throughout the report and that it be central to the media messaging.

We heard witnesses in Ottawa, and we travelled across the North. I remember flying all the way to Nain only to be fogged in at the last minute. We wrote the report in 18 short months, and may I add that we assembled our report at the same time as our government was working on its new Arctic policy framework to guide Arctic policy until 2030. Many respected observers noted that our report was a welcome — and dare I say even better — comprehensive, focused and forward-looking contribution to Arctic policy development.

Senator Bovey, we will miss your calm, measured voice, your fierce advocacy and your friendship, and I know you will continue to be an eloquent advocate for the arts in everything you do. We look forward to hearing about your next chapter. You and I will keep in touch on a goal we share — progress on the creation of a Nunavut heritage centre. We’ll make sure you come back to Nunavut, where I know a big part of your heart is, but I am really happy you will now be able to enjoy extra time with your family and beloved grandchildren, whom I know you love so much. Qujannamiik. Thank you. Taima.

Hon. Raymonde Saint-Germain: I rise today to pay tribute to an esteemed colleague and an inspiring woman with whom I’ve had the pleasure of serving since I arrived in the Senate. We were sworn in in this chamber just a few days apart, so this is a very special and personal moment for me.

[English]

I had the opportunity to get to know Senator Bovey in the three committees that we served on together: Transport and Communications, Foreign Affairs and Internal Economy, or CIBA. In all these instances, I was truly able to witness the excellence of Senator Bovey. At the CIBA Subcommittee on Human Resources particularly — and more recently — we tackled some delicate and important issues, and I can attest that no matter the subject or the situation at hand, she always acted with the respect and courtesy that characterize her so well. Patricia, I think I can speak for all the members of the subcommittee when I say your contribution and wisdom will be sorely missed.

I also have fond memories of working alongside you at the Foreign Affairs Committee, where you acted as the driving force during our extensive study of cultural diplomacy. We spoke to it yesterday, and I want to pay tribute to you on this as well. This important study is yet another example of the quality and vision of our studies here at the Senate and a feather in the committee’s cap. It positioned Canada’s culture on the international stage and gave guidelines in order to promote it and use it to our advantage.

As you said recently in reflecting on this Foreign Affairs Committee study:

Culture portrays who we are — our national values, roots and diversities. Conveying Canadian messages and realities abroad, culture tells others what Canada is, where we come from and our courage in where we’re going.

Senator Bovey, you can be proud of the role you played in conveying these messages. You truly are a great ambassador for Canada, our artists and, broadly, for our culture.

If I had to describe Senator Bovey in three words, I would use “artist” — the easy one — “manager” and “educator.” She is someone with a strong sense of good governance, vast knowledge and impeccable artistic taste, all of which has enriched the Senate of Canada. Notably, your numerous initiatives to promote Canadian artists in the Senate will be part of your long-lasting legacy.

As I have said before, Senator Bovey, with the commitment and enthusiasm you bring to the causes you believe in, you are truly inspiring. You will soon reach the age of mandatory senatorial retirement, but your character and dedication guarantees an active and busy time in your post-Senate life. I know you will continue to serve Canadians in a different manner.

In my name and in the name of all the members of the Independent Senators Group, I wish you, the Honourable Patricia Bovey, many happy and still active years to come.

Thank you.

Hon. Marty Klyne: Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to our remarkable colleague Senator Patricia Bovey. The extent of Senator Bovey’s passion for advancing the arts and advocating for social justice issues is matched only by her generous heart. Senator Bovey has devoted her life to championing the arts, having had a long career in the visual arts as a curator and director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, a board member of the Canada Council for the Arts, art historian, professor, author and, for many years, a management consultant in the arts and not-for-profit sector.

Senator Bovey has been a dynamic presence in the Senate since her appointment in 2016. In addition to the arts, her work has included a focus on Canada’s Arctic, oceans and fisheries and Indigenous and foreign affairs. As acting Senate Speaker, she represented the Speaker at international meetings. As a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, she initiated the Cultural Diplomacy at the Front Stage of Canada’s Foreign Policy study. She also served as a deputy chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications and the Special Senate Committee on the Arctic. Fittingly, she chaired the Senate’s Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group, which installed the first works of Black Canadian artists in the Senate of Canada since 1867.

She served as an executive member of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology and as a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages and the Standing Senate Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament.

Senator Bovey sponsored bills to expand marine protected areas, establish a parliamentary visual artist laureate and highlight the essential role of artists. She has been a valuable and energetic member of the Progressive Senate Group since 2020, having served as a liaison.

I trust I speak for all of us, colleagues, when I say that Senator Bovey has been a beacon of inspiration for all those who have had the privilege of working with her. As she steps down from her position in the Senate, we can all take comfort in the knowledge that Senator Bovey’s legacy will endure, and we look forward to her continuing contributions to Canada.

Thank you. Hiy kitatamihin.

Hon. Nancy J. Hartling: Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to Senator Patricia Bovey as she retires. In November 2016, I had the great pleasure of first meeting her when we were sworn into the Red Chamber on the same day, along with Senators Woo, Boniface, Cormier and Pate. We were all new, finding our way together and creating an incredible bond.

Patricia and I were seatmates in the early days. She was the queen of the arts with a great, big heart and lots and lots of energy. She has an incredible sense of humour with a unique laugh, and I have seen her kindness to many in this place. As a senator, she has exceptionally served on many committees, acted as Speaker pro tempore, travelling and representing the Senate both nationally and internationally. She has raised the profile of arts and culture and their importance.

Today, many of us will tell you about her accomplishments in the Red Chamber, but I would also like to share a bit more about the Pat that I have come to know and some of the things that are unique to her character.

Pat was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, later moving to Ottawa. She is the middle child with two brothers. Her parents supported and encouraged her endeavours. She was an avid piano player, teaching lessons, and perhaps could have made it her vocation. She loved skating in the winter, and she still seems to be skating as she walks briskly with purpose in her high heels. She was in a band and played the steel drums. This might be something, Pat, you could do in retirement.

Pat studied at several universities in art history, music history, and her passion grew in the arts. She has published over a dozen books, including her latest one, Western Voices in Canadian Art.

Pat and her husband, John Bovey, settled in Victoria, B.C., raising their two daughters. Sadly, John Bovey passed away in 2005. She later married the Honourable John Harvard, and they had many happy years together until he too passed away, in 2016. Pat told me how lucky she was to have had two very special Johns in her life.

Her daughters and their families, including her four grandchildren, now live in London, England. She loves spending time with them. We are pleased that her family is here with us today.

Pat performed many important roles in her life, including curator, director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, adjunct professor in art history, author and senator. Many of us call her our friend and colleague, but I want to share how her Senate staff member Christine Sentongo-Andersen described Senator Bovey:

She is a breath of fresh air who is extremely positive and always looking for a solution, rather than complaining about the current situation. It was like I had written down all the things I wanted in a Senator and the paper had flown up the chimney and she appeared floating down with an umbrella. She was like Mary Poppins while supporting me to realize my goals.

After she told me that, folks, this image has stuck in my head, and I see Pat with her umbrella, singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious with joy and laughter.

Many of us acknowledge her as a hard-working and dedicated person with a passion for art and culture. She believes that art is a universal language and the arts certainly are a lever for social and cultural change. Art tells stories of the past, present and future through images, words, movement and music. Let’s honour Pat’s legacy by promoting her vision and dreams.

We will miss you, Pat, and we thank you for your incredible contribution, but I know that this isn’t the end of your story. There is a next chapter waiting to be written. Thank you.

Hon. F. Gigi Osler: Honourable senators, I rise today to recognize the service of my colleague from Manitoba the Honourable Pat Bovey. Senator Bovey was one of the first people to reach out and welcome me to this chamber when my appointment was announced last year.

But, dear colleagues, while you may know her as a distinguished senator or author or art historian, I must inform you that there are some aspects of her life that have been omitted from her official biography, and I feel obliged to share them with you today.

For example, did you know that she is a marriage commissioner? In September 2020, it was the Honourable Pat Bovey who officiated the marriage between my aunt Sally Osler and her now-husband, Donald Benham. Furthermore, it was then that Senator Bovey revealed that were it not for a twist of fate, she could have been a star on the dance stage. In her speech at the wedding, Senator Bovey told us that her parents had been good friends with my aunt’s parents. Both mothers enrolled them in a ballroom dancing class with a teacher whom we will call Mrs. Wendt. Senator Bovey told the congregation:

The fall session was great. We had fun, sort of. I remember eating an awful lot of doughnuts. It was such a success that the parents decided in January there would be another term of ballroom dancing. Two weeks into the second session of these ballroom dancing lessons, Mrs. Wendt didn’t turn up. Mrs. Wendt went with all the money that our parents had paid for the second session.

And so, Senator Bovey’s dance career went out the door with Mrs. Wendt, and we can only wonder what could have been.

Undeterred, she went on to become the director of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and then the director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

She has sat on more than a dozen boards, including the National Gallery of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts.

She chaired the University of Manitoba’s board of governors.

Since her Senate appointment in November 2016, she proposed two pieces of legislation, and initiated a dialogue on the value of Canadian art to society and culture.

She chaired the Senate’s Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group, and oversaw the installation of the Senate’s first art display to honour Black artists.

Despite the demands of her busy schedule, she wrote and published two books on Canadian artists — all while fitting in visits with her beloved children and grandchildren.

Senator Bovey may be retiring from this chamber today, but I know that she will continue to be a powerful force.

On behalf of the people of Manitoba, I thank Senator Bovey for her work and dedication.

Meegwetch.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Alixe and Katherine Bovey, Senator Bovey’s daughters; her son-in-law Rory Dalziel; her brothers Ted and Bill Glover; and her sister-in-law Rubeth Glover. They are accompanied by other friends and family.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Alixe and Katherine Bovey, Senator Bovey’s daughters; her son-in-law Rory Dalziel; her brothers Ted and Bill Glover; and her sister-in-law Rubeth Glover. They are accompanied by other friends and family.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard: Honourable senators, I must say that it is difficult to speak after these last two speeches, in particular; I know that we are near the end. It is actually with a heavy heart that I rise today to pay tribute to the Honourable Senator Bovey.

Senator Bovey and I were appointed to the Senate at the same time. All along, I have appreciated her unwavering support, her dedication to issues of equity and inclusion, her allyship and, most importantly, her friendship.

As grandmothers and seatmates, we have developed an even stronger bond, sharing stories and, yes, laughter. Her sense of humour is infectious. Her dedication to the arts and her leadership have brought more of an appreciation for diversity in art to this place. I have also learned much about the politics of the art world — and there she is laughing.

In honour of her retirement, I am going to recite a poem written by our mutual friend, the former parliamentary poet laureate George Elliott Clarke — Africadian artist extraordinaire. I pray I do justice to it:

A Portrait of Hon. Patricia Bovey, Senator

Senator Bovey is poised to retire

From this Red Chamber, site of les beaux-arts

Des débats. So, let Yousuf Karsh inspire

This sketch — the chiaroscuro of a star!

Her eye is keen — a Claire Weissman Wilks lens:

Perspective upon perspective aligns —

Accurate with what perception contends,

Spot on with what examination finds.

Like Emily Carr, she is totemic —

As blunt as black, as plain as white; and though

Never purple in sculpted polemic,

Always takes she first place: “The Best in Show.”

She scrutinizes every “masterpiece”

Of legislation; “takes the big picture”:

To tease technique from technicalities,

To tell cracks from fine lines and craquelure.

When the Honourable Senator leaves

This Chamber, practically her second home,

I will be just one of her peers who grieves,

Or faints, succumbing to Stendhal Syndrome —

Astonished by art without an equal,

Enthralled by an artist without sequel.

Senator Bovey, we wish you the very best as you move on to your next chapter.

Hon. Mary Coyle: Honourable senators, I rise today to join my voice to the chorus of voices singing the praises, sharing the joy and selfishly lamenting the retirement of our beloved colleague, and my good friend, the Honourable — and unstoppable — Senator Patricia Bovey.

The first art historian and museologist to be appointed to the Senate of Canada, it should be no surprise that Senator Bovey articulated her goal in joining this august chamber in 2016:

. . . to ensure the voice of arts and culture is heard, in the Senate as well as in every sector of society.

[Translation]

Senator Bovey, your mission has been accomplished both in French and in English.

[English]

The voices of arts and culture, as well as the recognition of their significance, their impact and their potential, have permeated everything you undertook and achieved here in your deep, diverse and beautiful senatorial œuvre.

From your leadership work on the Arctic, cultural diplomacy, autonomous vehicles, Indigenous art, the parliamentary visual artist laureate, climate and our Senate collection and exhibits, you have opened us up to exactly what you said in your first speech delivered on December 6, 2016, in this chamber:

Artists from all cultures and from all over the world have given us an understanding of our past and our present through the three international languages of dance, music, and the visual arts. The visual arts are transformational and help us understand our local, regional and national communities. . . . they serve as bridges in our society.

You continued:

The arts are letting the world know who Canadians are, where we are and what we value . . . .

In your speech, you concluded:

The arts are not frills; they are the essence of who we are. We ignore their expressions at our peril.

Well, Senator Bovey, no matter where you were situated — whether it was with us in the Independent Senators Group, over in the Progressive Senate Group, sitting in the Speaker’s chair, around the committee table, travelling with the Arctic Committee, representing Canada abroad, attending COP 27 in Egypt with Senator Galvez and me, or back home in Manitoba — you always helped us appreciate the multi-faceted importance of the arts.

Senator Bovey — Patricia, Pat — as you leave us to pursue your next exciting chapter, and to enjoy time with your lovely daughters, your dear grandchildren, your brothers and your friends, I hope you know how much you are admired for all of your hard work — and how beloved you are as our dear friend and colleague.

Pat, just as art does, you have touched our hearts, our minds and our spirits. Go well, my friend. You will be sorely missed.

Hon. Patricia Bovey: Honourable senators, I’m not sure I have any words. I don’t know how to say thank you. I am quite overwhelmed, colleagues, by your really thoughtful, personal and unique tributes. So thank you very much.

I have to say, having my daughters and one of my sons-in-law here from the U.K.; my brothers, one from Florida and one from Winnipeg; a cousin from Connecticut; and friends from various spots, I have to say, having you with me today has made this even more special. Thank you all for coming.

[Translation]

Thank you all for your truly generous comments and those expressed by senators and the committee administration over the past few weeks.

I would also like to thank you for your support of my work over the past six and a half years.

[English]

It has been an immense honour to have served Manitobans and Canadians as a member of the Senate of Canada. The issues and ideas we have discussed and debated in this place have been rich. The experiences I have had across Canada and abroad have been truly memorable.

I want to welcome our new colleague Senator Petten. I wish you all the very best for your time in this place and I’m sure you will find it as enriching and interesting as I have.

[Translation]

I have often said that effective change is imperceptible in the moment. We can see the impact of such a change when we look back. Colleagues, that is certainly true for me as I look back on these six and a half years and reflect on the work of everyone here in the Senate, both the senators and the administration staff.

This place has progressed in every way, and from my perspective, the quality of the speeches is, in so many cases, inspiring. The independence of thought, the wide range of professional experiences embraced in this place and the varied perspectives certainly enrich our debates. I hear that from Canadians all across the country.

[English]

Speaker Furey, I owe you a very special thank you. Your guidance, wisdom, friendship and generosity will be sorely missed as you retire from this place. Personally, I thank you for the many doors you have opened for me; that of acting as Speaker in your absence in both this chamber and in Centre Block was a true honour, as was representing you internationally at the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit in Argentina and the Canada-Mexico meetings where you trusted me to sign agreements on your behalf, as well as at the Halifax Canadian Presiding Officers’ Conference and, of course, travelling with you to Latvia and France. Thank you.

[Translation]

Senator Ringuette, thank you for the work you do as Speaker pro tempore and for the way that you do it.

[English]

Senator Harder was so welcoming when I first arrived and throughout my time here, especially as my Progressive Senate Group — PSG — colleague, and he has continued his wise counsel. I thank him.

Senator Gold, you and the Government Representative Office have also been pillars. Thank you for what you do.

Colleagues, at my peril, I want to thank three other people in particular who have helped me immeasurably at my outset in this chamber.

Senator Mockler, do you remember that breakfast we had in the Sheraton Hotel when I was a brand new senator and the railway in Churchill was flooded? You knew I was concerned as it rendered Manitoba’s Port of Churchill on Hudson Bay cut off from the South. You knew my desire to help in whatever way I could, and you told me how, because I didn’t have a clue. And you told me the opportunities we had as senators. Thanks to you, I launched that inquiry.

I am incredibly proud of the fix — the purchase of the railway by First Nations communities along the line and the way they have maintained it since, despite increasing challenges of melting permafrost. The trains do run. I can see them in the distance from my Winnipeg condo. The rail line is so vital as there is no road to Churchill.

Senator Cordy, you championed my quest at the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade to study cultural diplomacy, and we weren’t even in the same group then. I admit I was dogged, as I knew it was so important, but without your regular interjections, it would not have happened. So thank you, Jane. The resulting study, Cultural Diplomacy at the Front Stage of Canada’s Foreign Policy, as I said yesterday, has borne real fruit, but I believe it could bear much more fruit with formal endorsement.

I sincerely thank again the 2017-19 Foreign Affairs and International Trade Committee; its chair, Senator Andreychuk; and the staff and our clerk and analyst for their unanimous endorsement of this initiative and their active participation in that work, especially Senator Oh, Senator Ataullahjan, Senator Dean and Senator Massicotte. I thank today’s committee and chair, Senator Boehm, and deputy chair, Senator Harder, for including this goal in their current work.

As you have heard me say before, Canada does need to be understood internationally. Other parts of the world do need to know who we are, our values, roots, diversities and ethics, and that is done through cultural diplomacy. And the work of artists of all disciplines does tell the world who we are, where we come from and our courage in where we are going.

May Canada’s international profile be strengthened in the months to come. Incidentally, I can assure you, from my arts and Senate experiences over decades, the financial returns from government funding of cultural diplomacy will be far greater than the expenditures themselves, and the rewards in every dimension will be significant.

[Translation]

The third person I want to thank is former senator Dennis Dawson. While he was still on sick leave, I was told that I needed to talk to him about the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, and that I would need his support to move the Portrait Gallery of Canada idea forward. To be perfectly honest, I was intimidated. I was familiar with his career and his connections. Despite feeling discouraged, I followed his advice, and he was very encouraging and interesting, as always.

To the Senate Administration staff, it was a real privilege to work with all of you. I admire the knowledge, professionalism and support of our capable Senate staff, including the clerks, the legal and finance personnel, the procurement, HR and communications staff, the researchers and analysts at the Library of Parliament, and the Senate archivist and her staff.

Thank you to everyone.

[English]

To the security personnel, words fail. You are everywhere. Always friendly, helpful, professional, whether posted indoors or out in the worst of weather, winter cold and snow, rain, sleet and summer heat. I thank you.

To our cleaners, building services, cafeteria staff, postal workers, translators, Hansard staff, printing and all those who make our meetings happen so smoothly, even when there are occasional hiccups, I applaud you.

And Black Rod, what can I say? You, too, are everywhere and have been so helpful for issues I have worked on in this chamber and in my own community. We may see each other at the end of July at Winnipeg’s World Police and Fire Games honouring our first responders, the second-largest games globally after the summer Olympics. As you are a former Manitoban, I hope yours and my paths may cross there.

To our pages, you are such inspiring young people — helpful, intelligent, gifted and dedicated. Thank you for all you do. I wish you all the very best as you pursue your ongoing education and careers. Please know how proud I am of every one of you. With people like you as our upcoming leaders, I have no fear for the future.

To my Progressive Senate Group colleagues and staff, words fail here too. That poem was amazing. This small but special and mighty group of senators has been so embracing of all my work. I thank each and every one of you for the depth of discussion and fun at our caucus meetings. Your candour and your embracing of the true meaning of the word “independent” is to be heralded. Thank you for your belief in me and for supporting me when I was a member of the PSG leadership.

And with all my heart to my staff, Archie Campbell, my Director of Parliamentary Affairs, and Christine Sentongo-Andersen, my Director of Issues Management, thank you. Archie and Christine have been at the core of all I have worked on since I came here, and any achievements I may have had are because of them.

Archie and Christine, words really are inadequate to thank you for all you have done to make our work so much fun, substantive and so much more. You really do know how the Hill works. Your advice has been wise and helpful, as has your diligence in our endeavours. Thank you.

I will say this, though: You almost became Manitobans, but I know you didn’t embrace the minus 40 and worse degrees and the bracing winter winds. Colleagues, I now need to win a huge lottery so that I can continue to have Christine and Archie working with me.

To my provincial and regional compatriots, thank you for your belief in me and for your candour. It has been a privilege to work and serve Manitobans and bring your voices into our deliberations. I cherished my trip to northern Manitoba and the engagements I have had with citizens throughout the province. It was an honour to go out with the Bear Clan Patrol on a number of occasions as well. Their work in troubled communities in our city has made a really positive difference.

I also want to acknowledge the tremendous support and input I have had on many issues from Canadian artists, arts organizations, arts workers and audiences all across the country, including my work on the parliamentary visual artist laureate, cultural diplomacy, artists’ resale rights, art fraud, fraud and my declaration on the essential role of artists and creative expression in Canada. Those are only a few of the things I’ve heard about from our creative colleagues.

That last item, the declaration, may be stalled at the moment following the passing its sponsor in the other place, Jim Carr, but I know that its intent and provisions will rise to the fore, as the support and need for it everywhere in Canada is not only understood but critically embraced.

Remember that arts and cultural industries are Canada’s third-largest employer, with artists being the largest percentage of working poor living below the poverty line, and with artists with disabilities at the very bottom of that ladder. Together, all parts of society need to address that dichotomy and recognize the constructive role the arts play in every aspect of contemporary life.

When I was called to be in the Senate, the Prime Minister said I was to be independent. I have been. He said I was to work on everything. I have. That includes our report on autonomous vehicles, Driving Change: Technology and the future of the automated vehicle, a study I found fascinating and one I wholly embraced, although at the outset I thought, “What am I doing this for? I don’t have a clue.” We learn fast in this place.

Sponsoring Bill C-55, the so-called Oceans Protection Act, and being part of the first steps of protecting Canada’s oceans, increasing its protected areas from 7% to 20% was important. I support moving that target to 30%.

Being a member of the National Finance Committee was very informative, as were all the truly important societal issues before the Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee. I thank the three chairs I worked with in that committee: Senators Eggleton, Petitclerc and now Omidvar. The Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration and its Subcommittees on Human Resources, Diversity, Senate Estimates and Committee Budgets and, for a short time, Long Term Vision and Plan gave me real insights into the internal workings of the Senate.

Of course, dear to my heart was the Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group, which I had the honour of chairing and about which I will say more in a minute.

The work of the Special Committee on the Arctic, chaired by Senator Dennis Glen Patterson — it was an honour to be your deputy chair, senator — was transformational. As you know, the North has been key in my pre-Senate and Senate work, both on committees and individually. I think our report Northern Lights: A Wake-Up Call for the Future of Canada was a seminal piece of work that has laid the groundwork for the future.

My subsequent trips to Cape Dorset, Yellowknife and Gjoa Haven were memorable, and each underlined for me the challenges we all face regarding the North. Issues of climate change in our North are particularly alarming and critical, with the projections that the melt of sea ice will see 40 communities submerged, like ancient Alexandria but for different reasons.

COP 27 in Sharm el-Sheikh last November was a major step in including the creative sector in the final cover discussion paper for the first time at any COP. I thank my colleagues, our Indigenous folks who were there pushing for that and I thank Minister Guilbeault for his push for that recognition. I sincerely hope that our creative sector will be at the table looking for solutions going forward.

My engagement and work on climate change with the international creative community are ongoing and will continue, Senator Coyle. You might hear from me.

[Translation]

As we all know, our role is to represent Canadians when we study, amend and adopt bills and we develop bills of public interest for the Senate. We all take our work very seriously.

[English]

In appointing me, the Prime Minister also made it clear that in addition to being independent and working on everything, I was to do all that through the lens of arts and culture. I think you know I did that — or at least tried to do that — to the best of my ability. As you’ve heard, I came here as the Senate’s first art historian and museologist, and I have to say it was daunting at the outset. I know some eyebrows were raised.

I thank you all for your openness to that creative world and how colleagues from all groups in this chamber have embraced those important issues. I am proud to have represented Canadian artists, arts workers and audiences, and thank the more than 600 across the country who were part of my consultations for my declaration on the essential role of artists and creative expression in Canada. As I said, I know that one day those realities and the essence of the declaration will be recognized.

The supportive and encouraging calls, emails, texts and notes I receive from the creative community across this country are amazing. The arts are core to every aspect of society — the economy; jobs; health; education; climate change, environmental awareness and solutions; tourism; crime prevention; and rural revival — the eight tentacles of the octopus I speak of so often. I do sincerely appreciate the support from you all in that work.

I also thank you for your encouragement and support of our in‑Senate arts and heritage work, from developing our policy for Senate arts and heritage, to our Honouring Canada’s Black Artists program. Yisa Akinbolaji is in the gallery today. He was one of the first artists in that first installation.

I also thank you for your support for Visual Voices, Galleries and Museums in the Senate, Cultivating Perspectives and the work we did to set a future for proper representation of Indigenous nations in our Indigenous Peoples Room. Indeed, I hand-carried two donations back from Manitoba for the Senate the other day by the Indigenous artist Elvis Antoine.

If only transport costs had not risen as they have and remained as projected, we would have been further along with the next iteration of Honouring Canada’s Black Artists from Nova Scotia and Quebec and with the Visual Voices, next time heralding the work of the Human Rights Committee on Islamophobia. After that, it would be celebrating artists with disabilities. But thanks to the Internal Economy Committee, that is now moving again. I have three more days to take it the next steps. So stay tuned for the ongoing work of the committee.

Senator Furey, I thank you again for your encouraging insights and support of this internal Senate work.

All that to say I am delighted with the steps that the Senate and every group in this chamber have taken in reflecting the voices of artists across the country and their insights into our past and present, with the portraits of our Speakers, aspects of our landscape and their calls for action on critical issues today.

Colleagues, the Senate also presents us with out-of-the-box situations, such as that passed on to me by Senator Greene Raine: lighthouses. Enjoying kayaking, I kayaked out to the Trial Islands Lighthouse off McNeil Bay. Fortunately, I went with truly experienced kayaking friends, as winds and heavy tides came up on our return trip. We had to lash our kayaks together. It was a dramatic afternoon. How lucky I was that I was with pros, as the situation was far beyond my kayak competency level.

Then there was my visit to Sheringham Point Lighthouse while it was under renovation. I climbed it and went out onto the ledge to see the recording equipment for the work the lighthouse was doing for Oceans Canada. They were monitoring the whales that were in some trouble in the straits that summer. I didn’t realize the questionable stability of the railings until I had to come in off that ledge and look down at the rocks below. I can honestly commit to my family, as they sit in this chamber, with all of you as witnesses: I won’t do that again unless I know the railings are solid and safe.

Now to look forward and build on the foundations we have achieved together these past few years. On April 11, I hosted an overflow crowd of about 130 at my Winnipeg open arts forum to let the community know the status of my Senate work and initiatives as I age on from this august chamber. I wanted to share how they might work more effectively with members of both houses, and let them tell me their ongoing needs and concerns. I thank Senator Cardozo for accepting my invitation to Winnipeg for that session, and I thank Senator Osler for attending as well. I know the community felt heard by the Senate that day.

At that session, artists’ resale rights came up, as did the need to mitigate the fraud and fake issues now so prominently at the fore. I will continue to work on those complex fraud issues. Attendees raised questions about artists’ estates and the taxation on the art remaining in their studios on their passing, an issue that is being addressed now by Canadian Artists’ Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens, or CARFAC. Fraud and copyright is a complex issue deserving attention going forward. Another issue raised was around public art and the need for consistency in processes and finances of competitions. While many art competitions are municipal and provincial, there are important federal public art competitions, such as the recent one for the national monument for the 2LGBTQI+ competition won by a Winnipeg team, and I believe another has been committed to honour paramedics.

Honourable senators, I have learned from my lifelong experience that the circles we live become ever more apparent as we age, as do the connecting ribbons across Canada. This building epitomizes those ribbons of history in many dimensions. We sit exactly where the platforms for the old Ottawa train station once were. These rails — ribbons of steel — have connected east and west for almost a century and a half, just as this building did in its next life as a government conference centre and now again as the Senate of Canada. Our debates, discussions, Senate studies and witness testimonies from across Canada further those critically important national links.

My personal circle in this building includes two of its histories. We, as a family, moved to Ottawa when I was in my mid-teens, arriving by train right here, perhaps even alighting forth from the train at the spot where my desk is now. Our tours during the construction and transformation of this building were remarkable, and I thank Senator Tannas. Our foyer is the old waiting room. The murals depict the country through which both the tracks and our legislation travel. It is interesting to remember that radio in Canada started on the railway, and just several weeks ago, we hotly debated Bill C-11, the revisions to the Broadcasting Act. Circles continue.

My last day physically in this chamber is tomorrow, May 11, and I can’t leave without squaring another circle — my professional one. My first day as a curator in the Winnipeg Art Gallery was also a May 11, in 1970. Housed then in Winnipeg’s Civic Auditorium, my first task was to take down all the exhibitions. A wrestling match was to be on stage that night, and the gallery’s director was concerned about crowd rowdiness. The wrestler was Jesse Ventura. He returned to the gallery about 30 years later as Minnesota’s governor; I had returned to the Winnipeg Art Gallery as director, and had just negotiated a memorandum of understanding with the Minneapolis Institute of Art to enable the sharing of collections and exhibitions. That is cultural diplomacy in action.

[Translation]

I am proud of the Senate’s role and its international efforts through various parliamentary associations, especially the unanimous motion we got passed by all 780 international parliamentary delegates at the Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe, or OSCE, in Birmingham last summer.

I would like to highlight the need to protect the security of the Arctic. In this area, and with the help of international parliamentary associations where I served and with which I travelled, I can say that we have rich opportunities, as senators, to make our world a better place through better understanding.

[English]

I have learned so much from programs in other countries, which — if repurposed for Canada — could have the ability to make a positive mark here, such as the U.K. social prescribing program. In it, people in psychological, health or financial need engage with others in public activities like garden plots, the arts and other community endeavours. As I have mentioned in this chamber before, the program of Montreal’s doctors in prescribing visits to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is one to emulate in other parts of the country. I thank Senator Mégie as one of those Montreal doctors for her work on that impressive initiative.

Honourable senators, the circles and lives we weave are indeed the platforms and foundations of our futures — personally, professionally and for our communities and country. I am only sorry that almost one third of my time as a senator was while COVID-19 raged. While it meant the chamber experience was online, it also created opportunity for a number of very informal, effective working groups involving people from every Senate group on a number of issues, including one on the Arctic and another on the arts.

[Translation]

Unfortunately, COVID took the life of one of our colleagues, Senator Forest-Niesing. I am pleased that, in her honour, we were able to exhibit the ribbon skirt that she designed and that was made by her mother. Those sorts of connections are very important.

[English]

I know that the friendships and collegial relationships that I have had the privilege of developing in this place will continue. Again, I thank you for all your tributes this afternoon, they mean so much. With all my heart, I wish you all the very best going forward in continuing your work of representing your regions and your specific sectors. As my late husband said, “We are all better off when we are all better off.” I know you will work to make our country better off. As I leave this place, I will try to do the same, as my involvement in many of the issues on which I have worked on in this chamber will continue. I will never forget the honour it is to have had the opportunity and responsibility to serve Canadians through the Senate. What a privilege.

Thank you all, but also thanks to my colleagues who were sworn in on the same day I was: Senator Cormier, Senator Hartling, Senator Boniface, Senator Pate and Senator Woo. We had a special group.

Your Honour, as you and I age on in this place — I don’t want the word “retirement” or “age out,” so I decided I’m aging on and I hope that’s what you’re doing — to start new chapters at the same time, I thank you again, and I wish you a very happy birthday and all the best in your next chapter. I do count you as an honorary Manitoban, but I haven’t tested you at minus 40 yet.

Thank you all, and I thank my family again for your support and patience during these past years. Our miles may be many, but our hearts are close. I appreciate your support very much.

[Translation]

Thank you again to all my colleagues, to all the Senate staff and to all senators. Thank you, everyone.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Earth Keepers from various First Nations communities in Quebec, as well as a professor from the Earth Keepers program at Laval University. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Audette.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Earth Keepers from various First Nations communities in Quebec, as well as a professor from the Earth Keepers program at Laval University. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Audette.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.