Hon. James S. Cowan (Leader of the Opposition):

Honourable senators, I want to add my voice to the tributes paid to our late colleague, Senator Norm Atkins, a man whom so many of us on both sides of this chamber counted as a good friend and mentor.

It was a year and a half ago, as Senator LeBreton has said, on June 30, 2009, that many of us rose on the occasion of Senator Atkins' retirement to pay tribute to his long career and many accomplishments. We spoke of the great impact he had on so many of us, as well as on the political life of this country.

There was also, as I recall, a fairly boisterous party in the chambers of Senator McCoy that night in his honour, when many stories were told and much laughter shared. We all anticipated a long and happy retirement, and relished the thought and the anticipation of the lively and insightful memoirs we were confident he would produce. Instead, here we are, 18 months later, mourning his loss.

Senator Atkins was many things, but above all, he was a man of politics; a consummate politician in the best sense of the word. As we know, politics is not universally regarded as the high calling to public service that many of us believe it can and should be. Senator Atkins understood politics in all of its aspects, high and low. He loved ideas, the stuff of serious public policy debate, and he loved, and was a master of, the game of politics but he never forgot that the game cannot be an end in itself. He was a true man of principle and conviction.

In preparing these remarks, I happened upon a eulogy written by William Safire, honouring an American senator who was also a consummate politician. Mr. Safire took the opportunity to try to put into words what it means to be a politician in the finest sense of the word. He wrote:

A politician knows that more important than the bill that is proposed is the law that is passed.

A politician knows that his friends are not always his allies, and that his adversaries are not his enemies.

A politician knows how to make the process of democracy work, and loves the intricate workings of the democratic system.

A politician knows not only how to count votes, but how to make his vote count.

A politician knows that his words are his weapons, but that his word is his bond.

A politician knows that only if he leaves room for discussion and room for concession can he gain room for manoeuvre.

A politician knows that the best way to be a winner is to make the other side feel it does not have to be a loser.

And a politician —

— and certainly colleagues, a politician in the tradition of Norman Atkins —

knows both the name of the game and the rules of the game, and he seeks his ends through the time-honoured democratic means.

Honourable senators, I think we can recognize, in these words, our friend and colleague. They reminded me of the excellent speech he gave here on his retirement. I could quote a number of sections from that speech, but I will content myself with quoting the following:

One question that I always used as a gauge of my time in the Senate is: Have I made a difference and has my time in the Senate contributed in some way to make the life of Canadians better?

That is the key to our role in this house. We are here to serve Canadians. . . .

Honourable senators, I think we all agree that Senator Norman Atkins succeeded in this role, the greatest standard anyone can set for themselves. He made an extraordinary difference to the lives of so many Canadians, and he left an indelible mark in the Senate, which he loved and respected so much. He did so with grace, intelligence, humour and basic good sense.

I did not always agree with him, but I can say confidently there was never a time when I did not respect and admire him. He truly represented the best of political life in Canada. He will be sorely missed.

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Hon. David P. Smith:

Honourable senators, I rise to pay tribute to the late Senator Norman Atkins, and I want to focus on one particular aspect of his personality.

He came to the Senate in 1993. He had chaired, and been involved in, numerous federal and provincial campaigns before coming here — the same seems to be my lot in life at the federal level. He had worked with Premier Davis, in particular, also with Premier Roblin, and we heard that he was close to former leader Robert Stanfield and Prime Minister Mulroney.

When he came here, he became a friend of former Senator Keith Davey, who came here in 1966. When I was 22 years old — I had finished university and was about to go to law school — he said: "you come and be my right-hand man in Liberal headquarters. You will be the national youth director and go coast to coast every month." This was in preparation for the 1965 election.

I like it when gentlemen like Senator Davey and Senator Atkins make democracy work, and they are on opposite sides. They became friends, then close friends. I am sorry if I become emotional. It is important to say these things.

It is fine to have all the policy differences we want, but never become nasty or personal. Make democracy work. I cannot think of any two gentlemen who lived that more than former Senator Keith Davey and his good, good friend Norman Atkins.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

Senator Smith: To the family, to Mary and their sons, I want to say it was a moving service. I thought to myself, "Boy, it would be nice if my three kids would get up and speak about me like that when my time comes." That is the best tribute I can give them. Mary, thank you very much for being here today.

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Hon. Wilfred P. Moore:

Honourable senators, I wish to be associated with remarks made by so many honourable senators here this afternoon. Senator Norman Kempton Atkins was a steadfast Canadian and a consummate senator. He always strove for the good of Canada, seeking the common ground and reaching across the aisle when that was deemed to be the wise thing to do.

As Senator Ogilvie mentioned, there was his devotion to Acadia University — the blue, white and garnet that he played for, bled for and constantly supported. How I savoured my hearty discussions and conversations with him about the rivalry between his Axemen at Acadia and my Huskies at Saint Mary's University.

I shall miss him. I shall miss the dinners we enjoyed at his and Mary's home, his wisdom, his advice and his friendship. My thoughts go out to his family members, the boys and Mary. I shall miss him very much. I miss him now.

I remember when Senator Cowan, Senator Munson and I went to an Acadia University event about two or three years ago when they inducted Norman into their special hall of fame. The tributes that filled that night were absolutely deserved and he was so proud of that university and his work with it — with the School of Business and on the board. Many schools would be well served to have an alumnus like Norman Atkins.

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Hon. Joseph A. Day:

Honourable senators, I rise today to join in paying homage to our former friend and colleague, the Honourable Senator Norman Atkins, who passed away September 28, 2010.

It was such a short time ago that we had tributes here in this chamber for our colleague when he retired from this place on June 27, 2009. Senator Atkins sat in this chamber for more than 23 years. Throughout his life, he gained a reputation as a thoughtful and prospective senator, whose advice and observations were always appreciated by other honourable senators and the staff here in the Senate.

He was always ready to help other senators on either side of this chamber if ever asked to do so.

One needs no better example of the character of the man than his decision to sit as an independent Progressive Conservative senator after the merger of his Progressive Conservative Party with the Canadian Alliance Party in 2003. He was a man of principle and he was a man of courage.

I had the great privilege of getting to know Senator Atkins during the nine years we served together on the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence and the Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs. In those years, I developed a great respect for him.

Norman always seemed to be at his best when travelling throughout Canada and on our visits to Washington and throughout the world. A trip of particular importance to him was a visit on the ninetieth anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the re-dedication of the restored Canadian National Vimy Memorial in 2007. This was a special visit for Norman as his father fought at Vimy Ridge. Many of us have had the privilege of reviewing the diaries that his father had written during that campaign. Through those diaries, we gained some insight into the life of a soldier in the First World War. Senator Atkins' dedication and passion for serving and retired military personnel and their families was truly inspiring.

Honourable senators, before he was appointed to the Senate, Senator Atkins had developed quite an extensive resumé in his own right. As we have heard, he was very active in the advertising industry with his brother-in-law, Dalton Camp. He was always very active in charitable matters. He was former president of the Albany Club in Toronto, where many important meetings took place. He used to talk about those meetings, for example, as they dealt with his work in the diabetes area.

When Senator Atkins was not hard at work in Ottawa or in some of his volunteer positions, he would often retreat to his favourite place in the world, his cottage on Grand Lake at Robertson's Point. Honourable senators, those close to him and neighbours on the lake would often refer to him, to his great delight, as the mayor of Robertson's Point.

I extend my sincere condolences to his three sons — Peter, Geoff and Mark — and to Mary LeBlanc.

Honourable senators, this chamber develops its reputation from the work and the actions of those who have the privilege of serving here. This institution is more highly respected today due to the contributions of the distinguished Honourable Senator Norman Kempton Atkins.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

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Hon. Terry M. Mercer:

Honourable senators, it is with mixed emotion that I stand today to pay tribute to my good friend, Norman Atkins.

Norman and I were on the opposite sides of many a political battle over the years; he won most of them. However, it was not until I came to this place that I got to meet Norman Atkins, the man. I quickly came to admire him, and we quickly became friends. As time went on, he and I, my wife Ellen, and Mary spent time together. After a Senate event, we would go out for dinner and discuss the problems of the world. We solved them all; unfortunately, no one took notes.

As Senator Segal and others have said, Norman was the consummate politician. He understood almost every problem, analyzed it, talked about the involvement of people in solving the problems and was willing to be flexible enough to know that the answers did not always come from his side but from good discussion amongst all of us.

I also had the pleasure of working with Norman as a member of the diabetes caucus on Parliament Hill. We worked together in that diabetes caucus to ensure that the position of the Canadian Diabetes Association was kept alive amongst colleagues who have diabetes as an issue. He was a great example of that, and he kept the fight against diabetes alive on Parliament Hill. It was my pleasure yesterday on Parliament Hill to host the Canadian Diabetes Association, where they tested parliamentarians and their staff to see if we were prone to diabetes.

In my opening remarks at breakfast yesterday to the group in the Parliamentary Restaurant, I reminded them of the contribution that Senator Norman Atkins made to the Canadian Diabetes Association and to ensuring the issue of diabetes is at the forefront of discussion on Parliament Hill.

To Mary and to his sons, I give you my love and respect. I can tell you that I miss him very much already.

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Hon. Art Eggleton:

Honourable senators, I offer a bit of a different perspective on Norm Atkins. Norm lived for quite a number of years in Toronto, and I think we all know of his work for the great Ontario Premier, Bill Davis, in those years. However, in those years also that I spent as Mayor of Toronto, he was both supportive and a good adviser to me.

I think that in addition to all of his contributions through the Senate and to the people of Canada, there are also the contributions to the people of Toronto and of Ontario that I would like to remember.

Of course, when I came to Ottawa following those years as Mayor of Toronto and spent five years as the Minister of National Defence, I heard a lot about his interests and his concerns about the people serving in uniform for our country. I am very happy to join my colleagues today in honouring Norman Atkins and offering condolences to his family.

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