Statement made on 28 June 2010 by Senator Frank Mahovlich
Hon. Francis William Mahovlich:
Honourable senators, I rise today to extend my congratulations to our former colleague, Viola Léger, upon receiving an Honorary Doctor of Laws from York University, under the auspices of Chancellor Roy McMurtry.
Throughout her life, Viola has had many important roles, including teacher, senator, and actress in numerous stage, television and movie productions, but she may be best known for her role as La Saguine in the play of the same name by Antonine Maillet. The scrubwoman is a role she mastered over the last 40 years, and one for which she has received rave reviews around the globe. I had the extreme pleasure of seeing her perform the part in Toronto this past May. Part of the performance was on her knees.
Never forgetting her Acadian roots, Viola created the Fondation Viola Léger to encourage and help develop theatre in Acadia. She has received numerous awards and accolades over the years, including New Brunswick Francophone Teachers' Association Award of Merit, the Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Pléiade, the Dora Mavor Moore Award, the Médaille du Conseil de la Vie Française en Amérique, and the Award for Excellence in Theatre from the Government of New Brunswick. She is also an Officer in the Order of Canada and was appointed to the Order of New Brunswick two years after her retirement from this chamber.
As many honourable senators knew Viola personally, they know how deserving she is of all these accolades. The honorary doctorate of law she received on Sunday is another distinguished feather in her cap.
I am sure that all honourable senators will join me in congratulating Viola Léger for receiving this distinguished honour, and continue to wish her the very best in the future roles that life may have to offer her.
I wish to leave honourable senators with the same wise words that Viola Léger left the students during their convocation at York University this past weekend: "We can't always control our destiny, but we can control our attitude."
This is one more life lesson that we can all learn from the wise mind of La Saguine.