Hon. Tracy Muggli: Honourable senators, I also rise to join Senator Coyle in welcoming the former president of Ireland Mary Robinson to the Senate of Canada.

As Senator Coyle mentioned, former President Robinson has had an extraordinary career in public service.

She has become one of the world’s leading voices on climate justice and brings decades of experience of working with organizations and countries that have developed practical and meaningful climate initiatives and policies.

I am so energized by her focus on the most vulnerable to climate change and strongly endorse her work to create space for those voices.

We spent much of this beautiful, sunny morning at Carleton University with faculty, students and young leaders, including members of the Canadian Youth Climate Assembly. We had an inspiring and thought-provoking question-and-answer session led by Diego Arreola Fernandez, a parliamentary intern with Environmental Leadership Canada.

The discussions centred on some of the important work that was accomplished when the global community worked together in the past, such as the healing of the ozone layer — one of the planetary boundaries.

It also focused on the daunting tasks that lie ahead in creating solutions and adaptation, now that we have reached the tipping point of 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, which has led to irreversible damage to glaciers, snowpacks, oceans and coastal communities, and will influence the increasing intensity and frequency of climate-related events if further warming is not prevented.

Through Project Dandelion, a global campaign she co-founded, she is assembling women climate leaders and building connections to tackle complex climate challenges.

In this vein, she was elected to lead the governing bodies of the Global Green Growth Institute. GGGI is an organization that works with countries around the world, particularly in the Global South, to support cleaner, more sustainable economic growth.

I should also note that President Robinson has been calling for stronger international oversight of artificial intelligence, which is particularly timely and important today.

As a co-chair of Senators for Climate Solutions, I am pleased to join Senator Coyle in welcoming President Robinson, a self-proclaimed “prisoner of hope,” to the Senate of Canada. Thank you, President Robinson, for your continued leadership and public service.

Thank you, meegwetch, marsee.