Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Honourable senators, on behalf of the independent senators of the Progressive Senate Group, I have the pleasure of paying tribute to Senator Greene.

Senator Greene has travelled a winding yet principled path during his time serving Canadians here. In his first speech in this chamber, he said:

I believe, first and foremost, in ideas. I do not care where they come from or who gives them to me. Sometimes this makes me more bipartisan than partisan.

Appointed as a Conservative in 2008, Senator Greene introduced himself to the chamber as “. . . a recovering member of the Reform Party of Canada.”

In 2016, early in the independent reform, he became the first Conservative senator to sponsor government legislation — Senator Harder will remember — with Bill S-4, tax agreements regarding Israel and Taiwan. As sponsor, he said:

I’m honoured to be among the first of, I hope, many senators who, despite their general disagreement with the current government, which I share, are willing to recognize good ideas and policies when they see them by sponsoring government legislation in this place when they have no policy objections that would prevent them from doing so.

That was a courageous declaration that would lead him to sit as a non-affiliated senator, to be followed by a few years as a member of the Independent Senators Group before becoming a founding member of the Canadian Senators Group.

His independent spirit led to his collaboration with then-Liberal Senator Massicotte, with whom he embarked on a quest to encourage and promote Senate reform. They sent out questionnaires, hosted lively discussions and collated responses to identify subjects with the most consensus.

In a 2017 op-ed, he summarized his evolving vision of the Senate as follows:

Canadian democracy needs a well-functioning upper house that is free of partisan shackles. It can’t be a copycat of the House of Commons. It must have a legislative role that is distinctive and valuable. But, because of its unelected nature, it must also act with restraint.

I must say that I agree with him.

Senator Greene demonstrated with actions — not just words — that staying true to oneself in service to one’s province and country should override partisanship. That’s an impressive legacy and a lesson that he leaves to all of us.

On behalf of the Progressive Senate Group, I wish you the very best in your retirement, Senator Greene — all the best.