Hon. Judy A. White: Honourable senators, I rise today to speak about one of my favourite senators: Senator Diane Bellemare.
An important principle in my community of Flat Bay, a small town located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland, is that of being a good relative, or piskwa’. That means showing kindness — not only to your family but to everyone around you — and providing mutual aid. To be a good relative is always to give back more than you take.
Senator Bellemare, you have certainly done your share of giving back.
As colleagues know, Senator Bellemare is a distinguished economist; she earned her PhD in economics in 1981. Economics is largely a male-dominated field and was even more so at that time, I suspect, so I’m sure it did not come without many challenges. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Senator Bellemare helped create a non-profit to promote employment. She served on the Economic Council of Canada, the National Statistics Council and the Institut de recherche et d’information sur la rémunération. She worked on development programs for federal and provincial labour forces, worked as an economic consultant and took part in the negotiation of the labour market agreement between Quebec and the federal government.
Senator Bellemare, beyond your contributions to your field and the good work that you have done for Canadians, I want to thank you for the kindness you’ve shown me since I’ve been appointed to the Senate. As a fairly new senator and as someone who is definitely not an economist, it’s been a privilege to learn from your immense expertise. I so appreciate your kindness and especially your patience with me. I’m very grateful to have worked with and learned from you, and even though you will no longer be at the Senate, I hope to continue learning from you and continue our in-depth conversations. We have spoken on so many all-encompassing subjects. We’ve talked about families, allyship, transgender supports and even ones including teeth; I will forever hold those memories.
Senator Bellemare, thank you for all you’ve done for me and for Canada. I wish you a very happy retirement.
Thank you. Wela’lioq.
Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.