Hon. Judy A. White: Honourable senators, on behalf of the Progressive Senate Group today, I extend our well wishes and express a bit of sorrow to Senator Boniface, who has decided to exit this chamber early.

Senator Boniface is keenly aware of the meaning of community, having grown up in a rural farm north of Toronto. Her father was a councillor for the Georgina Shores Lake Simcoe. He himself knew a thing or two about community. His desk and name plate are in Senator Boniface’s office to this day on the Hill, and it is a constant reminder to her of whom we represent.

Despite her small-town upbringing, big things awaited her. She began a career in policing, and we have all heard how she rose through the ranks to become the first female commissioner of the OPP. Clearly driven in her journey, she didn’t stop there; she went on to pursue a law degree at Osgoode Hall and was subsequently called to the bar.

After her retirement from the OPP, she decided to move her skills internationally to the Emerald Isle as Deputy Chief Inspector of the Garda Inspectorate. There she helped reform and modernize Ireland’s National Police Service. She grew fond of that country and its people, and we suspect there will be a trip there in the near future.

After her time in Ireland, she served as the Transnational Crime Expert with the United Nations Police Division in New York. There she was tasked with addressing organized crime in conflict and post-conflict countries, all the while, acting as a member of the UN Counter-terrorism Integrated Task Force.

This then led her to the Senate where — as we’ve heard — she was the Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs, merely a year after her appointment. She sponsored the impaired driving legislation — that’s the sister legislation to the bill legalizing cannabis — and became the first senator ever to co-chair a joint committee studying the use of the Emergencies Act.

In the words of Senator Peter Harder:

Perhaps most importantly, you initiated your own project on reconciliation in your hometown of Orillia, bringing continued dialogue between residents, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. This has blossomed into a self-sustaining and ongoing project. You reached the pinnacle of your professions and travelled the globe, but you never forgot where you came from and the meaning of community. Your father would be proud.

Senator, we could talk for a long time and say a lot about your accomplishments, but instead, I want to say this: On behalf of all of us, thank you for your pragmatism, thank you for your level-headed demeanour and thank you for your commitment to public service. You will be dearly missed.

Now, may you go off to continue the best job of your illustrious career — as you have said on numerous occasions, “Being a grandma is my best rank yet.” Wela’lioq. Thank you.