Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Honourable senators, it is my pleasure to rise today to share the results of the Progressive Senate Group leadership elections, which took place earlier this afternoon.
Senator Judy White was acclaimed as our new deputy leader and Senator Amina Gerba has been acclaimed as chair of the group. These two remarkable women will make an important contribution to the leadership of our group as well as the leadership of the Senate, which I look forward to. These new roles will be effective as of February 27, upon our return.
Our team will be completed by Senator Wanda Bernard as liaison.
On behalf of all the senators in the Progressive Senate Group, I also want to extend our thanks to our outgoing group chair, Senator Brian Francis, who has been and will continue to be a tremendous source of guidance to our group, the Senate and its committees, including the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples.
Finally, I am grateful to my group colleagues for putting their trust in me as their new leader, though I know it will be difficult to follow in the footsteps of Senator Cordy, who has served in this role since December 2019.
Jane, you have set such a high standard. I know that you were not expecting to become leader back in December 2019, and I heard a rumour that you were “voluntold” that the team needed you. I’m grateful that your former colleagues were able to convince you to accept this role because the Progressive Senate Group has been shaped in great part by you and Dennis Dawson and your joint decision to embrace reform and transform the former Liberal caucus into a truly independent group, which is now made up of 12 senators appointed under the new system — one appointed by former Prime Minister Harper and one by former Prime Minister Chrétien.
Your kindness has been welcomed by all senators in our group and at leaders’ meetings, but we also know what it means when your teacher’s voice comes out — and we are sometimes a bunch of unruly students. There are still two weeks left in your tenure, but I promise I won’t take much of your time. I will let you go and travel with our Speaker and be back at the end of February.
I’m happy to say that we are all working toward this reform and these transitions, and I think our team and our leadership team will be most interested to work with all of you to achieve this reform that we have all embarked on since 2015.
Thank you.