Hon. Andrew Cardozo: Honourable senators, it is indeed my pleasure to deliver this tribute to Senator Marilou McPhedran on behalf of the Progressive Senate Group.

I have known and followed the work of Marilou McPhedran dating back to the early 1980s — always a leading feminist, intellectual and activist.

Surely, one of the most important campaigns in which she had a central role was entrenching women’s equality in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Through a series of private lobbying, a national conference and public demonstrations, section 28 was added to the Charter before it went into effect.

Colleagues, in 1980-81, in Parliament, there was the Special Joint Committee on the Constitution of Canada, co-chaired by Senator Dan Hays and then-MP Serge Joyal, which held hearings and made recommendations on the Charter. Mr. Joyal was, of course, later a member of this house.

Long before she was a senator, she was very actively involved in the development of the Charter and then spent many years advancing equality in the voluntary and academic sectors. It is a nice follow-through that, many years later, she got to be in the Senate, monitoring time and time again that the bills put forward by the government received adequate Charter analyses.

So there is something of a milestone that another person so actively involved in the development of the historic and important Charter 45 years ago now leaves the Senate of Canada.

The other interesting confluence of events for this week and in this chamber is that as a young law student at Osgoode Hall, her teacher and mentor was none other than one Professor Louise Arbour. I want to quote from two of our mutual friends from two generations of her work. Magda Seydegart said:

Marilou McPhedran has always been an astute strategist and dedicated advocate for the full and lasting equality of women, youth and those who have historically — or currently — been marginalized. She acts on her commitments with full engagement, courage and honesty.

From the younger generation, Donneton Brown said this:

Senator McPhedran has been a tireless champion for youth through initiatives such as her youth advisory council, the Canadian Council of Young Feminists, as well as her efforts to expand the voting age to 16.

Personally, I want to thank you, Marilou, for mentoring me when I arrived at the Senate — especially when I was attending my first conference at the United Nations — and for encouraging me to address the issues that are important to me.

Your career has been governed by your principles, and in this house of independents, as a non-affiliated senator, you have been the ultimate independent senator in the best sense of the term. I salute you for what you have accomplished, and I wish you the best at this halfway point of your career as you launch other campaigns yet to come.