Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, it is with profound gratitude that I rise today to pay tribute to Speaker George Furey. Your Honour, you have had a rich and varied career as a teacher, a lawyer and a parliamentarian, but as our Speaker, you guided us through two historic and great transformations: the COVID-19 pandemic and the modernization of the Senate.

The COVID-19 pandemic placed enormous strains on Canadians, on our institutions and on our economy. But under your leadership, the Senate adjusted its practices, and we made this institution work to deliver the important supports that Canadians needed during those difficult years.

But your legacy, Your Honour, what students of Westminster parliaments will remember you by, is the skill with which you helped us navigate the modernization of the Senate. I recall in your opening remarks upon taking the chair as Speaker in 2015, you highlighted the need for this chamber to reinvent itself and to fulfill our constitutional role as an independent institution of sober second thought. Your Honour, your leadership throughout the process of reform was exemplary, and its effects will reverberate long into the Senate’s future.

Colleagues, many of us have had the great opportunity to travel with the Speaker or to join him as he welcomed parliamentary and diplomatic delegations here in the Senate, so you have seen how elegantly the Speaker represented our institution and, indeed, our country. Many of us have also had the pleasure of spending time with the Speaker in more relaxed settings, enjoying a good meal, fine wine, good whisky — often both — and being regaled by stories of his political life. These are some of the memories I cherish most fondly.

We all know that a successful political career requires a supporting family, and George has been blessed with a loving wife in Karen and with four talented children. We are all grateful to them, to all of you, for sharing George with us.

Your Honour, you have presided over this chamber with dignity, with fairness, with integrity and with a steadfast respect for this institution and all who work in it for the benefit of Canadians.

Above all, you have remained true to who you are as a person: modest and without pretension, a loving husband, father and grandfather, a person anchored in your faith and devoted to your province and your country.

You have been a mentor to me and to many, many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, including a very important member of my team.

Your Honour, in my tradition, we have a word for people like you, and it’s a word that comes with the highest, highest praise. George, you are a true mensch. Thank you for your friendship and your support. I am going to miss you greatly.

Hon. Scott Tannas: Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to our dear Speaker, the Honourable George Furey.

Your Honour, your career in the Senate has spanned over 23 years, which, if you want to be exact, means you’ve been a senator for 8,675 days — in case you’re counting. Throughout this time, you’ve been a steady hand for this institution. Your time as the forty-fifth Speaker of the Senate and your chairmanship of the Rules Committee, the Internal Economy Committee and the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee were each simply exemplary.

This time also included some difficult moments. There is a naval expression that says, “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” Your Honour, during your tenure, you were faced with many difficult obstacles — the establishment of the new security arrangements for Parliament Hill, the move to a new building and a global pandemic, just to name a few. Throughout, you were the captain of our ship and you showed your skill as a sailor in very turbulent seas.

You are a well-respected leader not just for the Senate but for Canada. As you travelled the world, you met with speakers, kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers. You always represented us with dignity and poise. That’s pretty good for a boy from Newfoundland and Labrador who grew up with big dreams.

With all that you have accomplished and the way you did it, as a teacher, lawyer, senator, husband, father and grandfather, your pursuit and subsequent attainment of your dreams are a testament to your strength of character. Your personal story is an inspiration to boys and girls that your journey to greatness is possible regardless of your beginnings. That is a powerful mark to leave.

George, my colleagues from the Canadian Senators Group and I sincerely and with much affection wish you a happy retirement. Please enjoy your time at home with Karen, your kids and grandchildren. I’m sure they will be happy to see you full-time from now on.

You are a model of humility, wisdom and kindness. You are irreplaceable. It has been our honour to serve with you.

Hon. Jane Cordy: Senator Furey, I can’t believe that the time for your retirement is here. Your distinguished career serving the people of Newfoundland and Labrador in Ottawa is coming to a close after almost 24 years.

It was a pleasure to serve alongside you in caucus for 15 of those years, until your appointment in 2015 as the first Speaker of the Senate from Newfoundland and Labrador. I will add that during the time that Geoff Regan served as Speaker of the House of Commons, it was the first time that the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Speaker of the Senate were both graduates of the law school at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

George, I have many fond memories of working with you here in Ottawa. One fun thing that stands out was the Senate choir. You and I, along with Senator Ringuette and former senators Bill Rompkey, Joan Fraser, Lorna Milne and Gerald Comeau — to name a few — would sing together in the Senate choir, not as Liberals or Conservatives, but in the spirit of friendship.

The late senator Tommy Banks would lead and accompany us on piano, and if we sang out of tune, Tommy would simply begin to play a little louder.

As others have said, George, you have kept a steady hand as we have navigated these uncharted waters of change in the Senate over the last eight years — from the ever-evolving dynamics of this place, to the move from Centre Block to our temporary new home here in the Senate of Canada Building and the upheaval of the pandemic with a shift to hybrid sittings.

I think the highest praise a Speaker can receive is to be regarded as being fair. Your Honour, you have ruled fairly but firmly with words of encouragement for us to find solutions.

George, I know how important family is to you. You will now be able to spend more time with Karen, your children and, particularly, your grandchildren.

I wouldn’t normally quote a family member. However, since Andrew is a politician, I will make an exception here. He said:

Dad was a great role model, and not only was he a great role model, he’s one of my best friends.

He went on to say:

. . . my top priority is always going to be my family. That’s something that’s been instilled in me since I was a kid.

George, there is no better tribute to a parent or a Speaker than this.

You and Karen have always recognized that while politics is exciting and invigorating, family is what keeps us grounded.

Speaker, I phoned former senator Joan Cook — that might make you a little bit nervous — and I asked if she would like to share a funny story about you. She said, “George isn’t funny. He’s serious. It’s all about family.”

She went on to say that you had five grandchildren in two years. Now, Joan always knitted things for new babies, but I understand she phoned you, George, and said:

So, five grandchildren in two years — for God’s sake George, tell your kids to slow down. I can’t keep up with the knitting.

George, I am honoured to have had the privilege to serve with you in the Senate for the last 23 years. You have served Canadians and the Senate of Canada with great distinction and you have earned a deep respect from your colleagues. To quote this week’s The Hill Times, your retirement is “. . . a loss for the Senate and the Canadian public.” The descriptions of your decency, commitment and impact on this place cannot be overstated.

The Progressive Senate Group and I wish you and Karen the very best.

Thank you for all you have done.