June 19, 2025
Hon. Judith G. Seidman: Honourable senators, thank you.
Senator Housakos — Leo, Senator Gold — Marc, Senator Saint-Germain — Raymonde, Senator Tannas — Scott and Senator Francis — Brian, thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
Your Honour, it seems appropriate to look at you before I begin, as we usually do when you recognize us to speak. Thank you.
On September 15, 2009, the first day of the Senate after the summer recess period, I sat in Centre Block just outside the Senate Chamber, in a small but magnificent room called the Salon de la Francophonie, with eight other soon-to-be colleagues. I pinched myself. This must be what is meant by “an out-of-body experience.”
We were all seated at a large boardroom table, each quietly and nervously waiting for our name to be called next before walking into the Red Chamber. As each person’s name was called and they left the room, supposedly for procession into the chamber, someone said, “What if we just disappear into ’nowhereness’ like in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland?” Well, some would say that there are days on the Hill that feel much like Alice going down the rabbit hole.
It was a huge honour and privilege to be nominated by the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, then prime minister, and I also saw it as a great responsibility. I thank him for the trust and confidence he placed in me.
Over these 16 years, I have grown to fully understand the duty that was entrusted to me as a senator from Quebec — a duty to give voice to those who have no voice, especially minorities in Quebec.
Frankly, I had never even dreamt that I would find myself in this august chamber. It is true that while my friends were hanging posters of rock stars in their rooms in high school and university, I was hanging posters of political candidates. Politics became my passion and hobby over the years. For as long as I can remember, I have believed that we are so fortunate to live in our country, Canada, and that we must not take our democracy for granted. Therefore, it is our responsibility to ensure the freedoms and opportunities we enjoy as Canadians are never in jeopardy. The best way to do that, I believed, was to get involved in the public sphere in some way and give back something to our communities in return for our good fortunes.
While I have been fortunate to have had good teachers and good friends over the years, there is no doubt in my mind that the strongest influence on me has been the caring, determined man I knew first in my life: my father. He instructed me, the eldest of three daughters, on values, principles, courage, strength, loyalty and commitment. He showed me a fine example of public service commitment over his lifetime, primarily and most importantly in his work with youth as an innovator on local, provincial, national and international levels.
Honourable colleagues, I must admit that at this most critical juncture, the end of one of the most meaningful periods of my life — these last 16 years as part of our Senate family — I have spent some time doing a sort of mental review. The first thing that comes to mind is how fortunate we are to have the gift of time in our work here, to be able to think big picture and to act on big issues confronting our country.
As you’ve heard today and as many of you know, most of my work in this place over the years has been focused on health care and social policy. Both have jurisdictional limitations, but for both, there is an important place and need for national leadership. You have heard me speak on government legislation and ask questions of ministers or the Leader of the Government.
The pieces of health-specific government legislation that we have passed here in this place — sometimes with amendments but always with sober second thought — such as the cannabis and vaping legislation, the pharmacare and dental care bills, the Accessible Canada Act, the Canada Disability Benefit and the medical assistance in dying legislation, have been important in their own rights, yet we must confront even larger questions.
Among the most demanding issues in the health field that confront us now, I believe, are how we will deliver effective front-line primary health care and social services to an aging population who want to age in place in their homes and communities; how we will address great shortages in health human resources and grave systemic weaknesses in our health systems; and how we will provide the infrastructure to meet the urgent need for robust, standardized national health data, especially for support during crises like the pandemic we have just emerged from.
Another big question, colleagues — right here, at the heart of the raison d’être of our chamber — is this: Will we conduct our legislative reviews of important pieces of legislation, especially those that require ongoing scientific review and evaluation to update changes in health policies, that could actually result in unintended consequences?
The Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying, originally formed in December 2015 as a result of the Carter v. Canada (Attorney General) Supreme Court decision, was meant to advise the government on a federal framework for the necessary legislation to remedy what was found to be a contravention of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It was a privilege to be a member of this committee with four of my Senate colleagues — the Honourable James Cowan, Serge Joyal, Nancy Ruth and Kelvin Ogilvie — all of whom are now retired, along with 11 members of Parliament. We worked throughout a two-month period and our recommendations resulted in the very first piece of Canadian legislation on medical assistance in dying.
I would say that I look back on that study as one of the most intellectually and emotionally challenging that I have faced as a parliamentarian.
Understanding the Senate’s very foundational role in safeguarding minority interests required my particular attention to consistently advocate for the English-speaking minority communities in Quebec. I truly hope that I fulfilled my responsibility in that regard.
Colleagues, I have worked closely with so many of you on committees as well as on particular projects and issues over these years. Overall, our committees have completed some outstanding studies that I believe should not be relegated to sit on the shelves and collect dust. You will know that I have often referenced relevant findings or recommendations from our Senate committee studies throughout the work we do here in our chamber in the hopes that we can build upon them.
I have also served as the opposition critic to the government sponsor on many pieces of legislation. The cooperation to truly bring a better bill to Canadians is what we have aspired to together. I thank you, honourable senators; it has been both an inspiration and an education working on matters in service to Canadians together.
As for our work on the Senate Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators these last five years, it has been a privilege to have been entrusted by all of you with the many highly sensitive questions around our code that are sent to our committee. I assure you that we have always fully recognized that our primary objective is to oversee the code for senators and to preserve the integrity of the Senate.
I will give a special thank you to my colleagues on our committee. It has been an honour serving this institution with you.
What these last words upon retirement must be about is the big supportive family — all of you who are our ongoing source of strength, those around us who enable our work from so many vantages. I think of it as a large circle that begins with our Clerk of the Senate, Shaila Anwar, who brings an indefatigable commitment to creating the highest quality work environment for everyone. I have learned so much working with you, Shaila. Thank you.
I want to thank our Usher of the Black Rod and the Senate pages, who bring us daily smiles along with water and other necessities while we are at our desks in the chamber.
I thank our Chamber Operations and Procedures Directorate, the table officers and staff working behind the scenes who really keep this chamber and all of us in order.
I want to thank the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel who have been invaluable to our work on our Ethics and Conflict of Interest Committee and who draft so many of our Senate public bills.
I thank the Senate protective services, now the Parliamentary Protective Services, who truly care about our safety. We see that in their actions every day.
I thank our dedicated teams from the administration directorates: human resources, finance, our IT and telecommunication teams, corporate security, building services, communications, broadcasting, publications and committees. They are always ready to find solutions to our many challenges.
Finally, I want to give a special mention of our minibus drivers who have driven us that extra little distance in the dark and cold winter nights after late sittings.
To all of you, I say, “A million roses; a million thank yous.”
I extend my thanks and gratitude for my Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators Committee clerks over these years who brought such professionalism, support, advice and commitment: Marie-Eve Belzile and Joëlle Nadeau, and for a brief interlude during our time of need both Shaila Anwar and Gérald Lafrenière.
To my caucus leadership team and our small but mighty caucus, thank you, above all, for your supportiveness and friendship over these years. I leave knowing that our leader, Senator Housakos, will pilot you between the rocky shores with great skill.
Thank you to my Whip Office Advisor, Karma Macgregor, who has served four whips over the years with dedication and most effectively. Frankly, my term as the Opposition Whip coincided with the COVID pandemic, and my roll just naturally evolved to being “the COVID Whip.” Thus, I could focus on the health and safety of all my Senate colleagues, which came quite naturally from my epidemiology training in my previous life. The traditional so-called whip “enforcer” is just not my calling.
As for the staff on our leadership team on the third floor, what would we ever do without you? You were always ever-willing hands on those long days and late nights.
In my senator’s office, thank you to Valérie Wolfe, who, at the very beginning, was with me to learn processes and procedures and everything to do with the Senate; Gabrielle Bérard, who was a skilled adviser on health legislation; and Valerie Michailovich, who endured the isolation of COVID work yet always jumped in enthusiastically with brightness to tackle whatever research. When she moved on to a Masters in Public Health, I was so proud. I also thank Sylvie Clément, the person I introduce as the one who keeps my life in this place running smoothly, daily, in all of its aspects. We have been through a lot together over these years. You have managed our office team, and I always valued your advice, judgment and calm organizational ability to keep everything stable even in the most intense periods that we all experience in this place.
To my wonderful family: my late parents, Riva and David; my late husband John; my late husband Olli; my sisters and brothers-in-law, Iris, Stephen, Bonnie and Renaud; my very cherished daughter, Jessica Ripley; son-in-law, Steve Soifer; and my one-of-a-kind grandson, Zac, I love you all dearly. Thank you for your patience, supportiveness and unconditional love all these years when I have likely not given you the attention you so deserve. But that time is coming.
Jessica, if I might — generation to generation — you, too, have chosen the pathway to give back to your community and country in your work and national leadership in the field of youth justice. You are an inspiration to me.
Colleagues, I am so grateful and I feel so fortunate to have been graced by these 16 years of the privilege of public service for Montrealers, Quebecers and Canadians.
Finally, it seems appropriate to end with a quote of my dearest grandson, Zachary Ripley Soifer, offered when he was but 10 years old. He said, “Gram, do not follow your shadow; look to the future.” I shall try to take his youthful advice.