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

Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to Senator Bill Rompkey, who retired from this chamber on May 13. Senator Rompkey was born in Belleoram, a small community on Fortune Bay in Newfoundland. It is sometimes said that where we are born and raised gets into our souls — it shapes us and grounds us, so that no matter how far we travel, we are always of that place. That is certainly true of Bill Rompkey. Anyone who meets Bill cannot be help but be struck by his deep love of Newfoundland and Labrador, his passion for its history, its traditions, its people, its land and, above all, the future of his beloved Newfoundland and Labrador. It is deep in his core.

Equally deeply ingrained is the desire to help others, to serve the people around him and to serve his country. We in the Senate have observed Senator Rompkey's devotion to the men and women of our Armed Forces. He, himself, served in the Royal Canadian Navy for close to a decade. In 2009, he received the Naval League of Canada's Robert I. Hendy Award for his contributions to the Navy League and to maritime affairs.

When he was not off serving his country in the naval reserve, he was teaching in Labrador. We who have enjoyed his speeches here will not be surprised that the subject of choice was English. He became principal of Yale Amalgamated School in Labrador and then was named the First Superintendent of Education with the Labrador East Integrated School Board, a position he held until he entered politics.

He first ran in the 1972 federal election in the riding then known as Grand Falls—White Bay—Labrador. He won that election and every election thereafter until he came to the Senate in 1995. Seven undefeated elections over more than 20 years — that is a quite a feat.

In that time, he held a number of important portfolios, including Minister of National Revenue, Minister of State for Transport, Minister of State for Mines, Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Manpower and Immigration, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment.

During the years of the Mulroney government, he held that government to account with numerous critic responsibilities, ranging from National Defence to Science and Technology to Consumer and Corporate Affairs.

The breadth and depth of his experience and knowledge is truly amazing.

Of course, upon coming to this chamber, he chaired a number of committees and served diligently on even more. He held leadership roles in his positions as Government Whip and as Deputy Leader of the Government.

Throughout his nearly 40 years in Parliament, Senator Rompkey demonstrated that politics truly can be a high calling, a way to serve Canadians, to help with problems, big and small, and he did so as a gentleman, with integrity, wisdom and always tremendous kindness.

The tasks he took on were by no means easy ones. He never shied away from difficult issues but always stayed true to his commitment to do the best for the people of his province and his country. He succeeded.

A recent example was the 2009 Coast Guard plan to remove the lightkeepers from lighthouses in Newfoundland and Labrador and British Columbia. Senator Rompkey, as chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, took the committee out to see the lighthouses and meet the people who used and depended upon them for their safety and security at sea. They travelled by road and by helicopter to hear directly from the Canadians affected. They then presented the government with a series of recommendations, notably that the lighthouses remain staffed by lightkeepers. The government, in what may have been an unprecedented move, accepted every one of the committee's recommendations.

A few years ago, I had the good fortune to travel to Labrador with Senator Rompkey as part of a trip by the Fisheries Committee. I was struck by the strong bond between Bill and the people we met, a bond forged by his lifetime of service to that magnificent part of our country.

Honourable senators, even while Senator Rompkey has worked so hard here, he somehow managed to write several books. These have included books on military history, a book of war letters and other writings about his beloved province.

I first met Bill — although he will not remember it — some 30 years ago when he was a member of the other place. Our first meeting was the kind that would either give rise to a lifelong friendship or kill any chance of cordial relations altogether. He put me through the classic Newfoundland "screeching-in" ceremony, and I am relieved to report that I passed and, indeed, he and I have become close friends.

I cannot end without mentioning one other part about Bill's life that no doubt marks him even more strongly as a Newfoundlander and Labradorian, and that is his love of making music. Many of us have had the pleasure of gathering around the piano while he played songs for all to sing, regardless of the level or lack of our own singing abilities. Music is joy to him, a joy he has always shared.

Honourable senators, I will deeply miss Senator Rompkey in this place, his quiet manner, his sparkling sense of humour and his wise counsel.

I will end with a quote that I found on his publisher's website from a series of questions and answers they once put to him. He wrote:

Life is not a destination but a journey, and it is not a dress rehearsal; there is just one performance, so make the most of it and do what you want but do it well.

Bill, Shelagh and I wish you and Carolyn and your children and grandchildren many happy years in the next stage of your journey together. I know you will take your own advice and make the most of it, doing what you want to do but doing it very well.

Hon. Sharon Carstairs:

Honourable senators, I rise today to speak of someone who was born as a Newfoundlander and chose to become a Canadian; a husband; a father; a grandfather; a teacher; a sailor; a member of Parliament; a cabinet minister; a senator; a government whip of the Senate; the Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans; the Chair of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy; the author of numerous books and articles; the writer of ditties — about which I will say a bit more — a singer; a pianist; and a tea drinker. This is Bill Rompkey in one sentence, a bad one, but nonetheless a sentence, though it does not do full justice to him who, as my colleague has said, is a very special human being.

I knew Bill peripherally as one does members of the other place, but it was only when he came to this place that I learned the full measure of the man.

When I became the Leader of the Government in the Senate, the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien asked me whom I would like to have as my whip. Without hesitation, I replied, "Bill Rompkey." I wanted him because I knew of his dedication to making politics work with respect and dignity. I also knew that Senator Rompkey was well respected by his colleagues and that they would be hard-pressed not to do as he asked. I was also aware that he would bring with him Janice Marshall, who had been an integral part of his office both here and in the other place, and she, too, was equally dedicated.

It was through the hard work of Bill Rompkey that our pay and benefit packages were improved in the late 1990s. This is not widely known because others were more vociferous about it, but it was Bill working with the PMO that made it happen.

Apparently, Bill recently told the story of losing a vote soon after he became whip and, reportedly, I glared at him, and he then said that he never lost another. As Bill and I were both high school teachers, he knew what that teacher glare was all about.

There are many Liberal senators present who will recall the dinners we had for retiring Liberal senators on their departures. The highlight of each and every one of these events was the songs Bill would compose in their honour and which many of us would be delegated to sing.

As good, of course, were the desserts, which Carolyn always brought along.

Bill and Carolyn have been a true partnership throughout all aspects of Bill's career; you simply do not get one without the other. John and I are very privileged to call them both friends.

Hon. Jim Munson:

Honourable senators, Senator Bill Rompkey's contribution to this country is, of course, manifold.

In tribute to him today I have chosen to shape my remarks almost solely around his contribution to the Senate study on the preservation and use of those great and guiding beacons, Canada's lighthouses and their lightkeepers. As chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, Bill was determined to get at the heart of these issues. He described the importance of hearing from people whose lives are associated with lighthouses in this way:

If we don't see people in situations where they are, we really can't understand thoroughly what their life is all about and what their area is all about.

Throughout their history on our shores, lighthouses have assumed a distinct place in the hearts and memories of countless Canadians. They symbolize safe passage and are entrenched in our nation's heritage. My great-great-uncle James Munson was a master mariner who, after surviving a wreck off the coast of New England, became a lightkeeper in Cape Enrage, New Brunswick, in the 1850s.

In the 1990s, three generations later, I worked as a reporter on a documentary about Machias Seal Island, a 15-acre island off the coast of the Bay of Fundy. It is the last disputed territory — it is still disputed — near Grand Manan between Canada and the United States. It is also where Canada's first lighthouse was built in 1832.

Bill has often referred to the role of lighthouses and their place in communities. On this tiny island I probed into exactly that, the connection between people and lighthouses, and know that it is real and worth understanding.

Bill is wise, kind and attentive to people. He never bears a grudge. This is quite an exceptional feat, particularly for someone who has enjoyed such a long career on Parliament Hill. These are among the best of human qualities. We are drawn to them and seek them out.

I first met Bill when I was a young reporter in the 1970s. He had just left provincial politics and was a new federal member of Parliament. Eventually, as has been said, he would become a member of Mr. Trudeau's cabinet.

Bill has served Canadians well. So, too, has his commitment benefited the Liberal caucus, and not just during the heyday of the Liberal Party.

Following the 1984 election, when the Liberal seat count dropped from 135 to 40, Bill stood strong and kept Liberals hopeful and engaged. He repeated that message of hope this year, shortly after the May 2 election. It was a message Liberals needed to hear.

Here in the Senate, Bill has also been a beacon. His actions and approach consistently demonstrate that as long as we maintain respect and compassion for others, what matters to them and why, we are moving in the right direction.

I want to thank you, Bill, and your wife. I want to thank Bill for being the lightkeeper on this hill. You have been an excellent colleague and will always be a close friend. I look forward to hearing about the great things you will do in the future.

Hon. Pierre De Bané:

Honourable senators, I would like to join my colleagues in paying tribute to Senator Rompkey.

How can I sum up a parliamentary career that spans more than 38 years, including 22 in the House of Commons and 16 in the Senate? How, in just a few words, can I describe a man who was a member of Parliament, a parliamentary secretary, a minister, a senator, a government whip and a member of more than 20 Senate committees, 20 House committees and four joint committees? And that is only his parliamentary career. Senator Rompkey was a teacher, a principal, the first superintendent of education with the Labrador East Integrated School Board, an author and a lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Navy. If I were to list all of his great achievements, I would certainly run out of time.

The senator has deep roots in Newfoundland and Labrador.

I had the honour of serving with Bill Rompkey in cabinet, and he was also the minister responsible for Newfoundland. When he spoke about the people of his province and constituency, no one could be insensitive to the passion that he put into representing them.

When I had the honour to co-chair the Special Joint Committee on Canada's Defence Policy with the Honourable Senator Rompkey while he was in the House of Commons and I in the Senate, I learned so much about defence and how he felt so deeply about our forces, in which he had served.

I could talk on and on, but I would like to say that Senator Rompkey has particularly impressed me in terms of how he related to the constituents he served. It so happened that in those days I served as Minister of Regional Economic Expansion, which dealt very much with Newfoundland, and he was so eloquent.

Senator Rompkey, I want to tell you how much you moved me. You had a profound impact on me. Thank you so much for your dedication to our country, which you have chosen, and on behalf of the people of Newfoundland, whom you served with all your passion.

Hon. Rose-Marie Losier-Cool:

Honourable senators, I would also like to say goodbye to a dear friend and respected colleague, our beloved Senator Rompkey. As so many honourable senators have pointed out, during his long political career from 1972 to 2011, Bill Rompkey always worked tirelessly for the people he represented and for his beautiful region. He always did so with a smile, for he is cheerful and courteous, two qualities that are increasingly rare in politics.

I am particularly reminded of the two very rewarding years I spent as a member of our government leadership from 2004 to 2006. Senator Rompkey was our deputy leader, Senator Jack Austin was our leader, and I was the government whip.

A perfect ménage à trois, you might say!

So well-tuned, so smooth, so successful. It was in no small part thanks to Senator Rompkey that Senate business unfolded so well in those days, and I am grateful for having been a part of that memorable team and having been a part of his choir.

I would also like to congratulate Senator Rompkey on having been a member of the best profession there is before he entered politics, for, like me, he was once a teacher. That profession probably allowed him to have a lifelong influence on many lives and in a way that was much easier than in politics.

My dear friend Bill, please know that we miss you a great deal already. And I hope the magnificent scenery of your beloved province will not make you forget us too quickly.

As they say so well in Newfoundland and Labrador: Enjoy. Enjoy good health and happiness for many, many years.

Hon. David P. Smith:

Honourable senators, I rise to pay tribute to Senator Rompkey. I have been honoured to serve with Bill in both Houses of Parliament: in the House of Commons, going back more than 30 years; also in the cabinet of Pierre Trudeau; and in the Senate for the last nine years.

Bill is a gentleman, truly. There are a few left; some are even here. I will not say how many, but whatever the number, there will be one less because of your departure, Bill.

You have been a good and effective parliamentarian in every sense — in the Commons, in the cabinet, in caucus, in the Senate, and in making democracy work in general. You are also an educator, a scholar, an academic and an accomplished author. You are warm; you are friendly; you smile great smiles and they are genuine.

With regard to your writing skills, I actually read your book on Labrador, not because I had insomnia but because I like history, especially Canadian history. It was a great book.

Given your interest in lighthouses, I was flirting with the idea of singing to you that old gospel song, "I thank God for the lighthouse," but I will spare you.

Bill, you are already missed. You are a role model for both current and future parliamentarians. I wish you, Carolyn and all of your family all the best in the next chapters of your life. I hope you will write quite a few chapters, and I am sure they will be some good, my son.

Hon. Joan Fraser:

Honourable senators, it is very hard to speak in tribute to one of the most eloquent speakers who has graced this chamber. Senator Rompkey's voice and the lyricism with which he could evoke those subjects that mattered to him will not soon be forgotten; nor will we forget, as so many have said, the songs he had us sing. "The Singing Senators," with our aging, quavery, creaky, out-of-key voices nonetheless welded into a group that, thanks to Senator Rompkey, had a wonderful time singing.

We shall not forget his kindness or that wonderful smile. No matter how bleak the occasion, he could muster up a smile. On the very, very bleakest, he would smile perhaps a slightly smaller smile and say, "Are we having fun yet?" That was as close as he would ever get to conveying anything other than joy at being here with us.

He also conveyed passion — passion for the people, the history and the land of Newfoundland and Labrador; and passion for the military people and their history.

I thought a lot about you in June this summer, Senator Rompkey, when I was with a delegation to mark the ninety-fifth anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. On July 1, we were at Beaumont-Hamel and we wept. A couple of days later we were at Gueudecourt, where the replenished Royal Newfoundland Regiment, just three months after Beaumont-Hamel, had scored spectacular success, and we sort of wept again; but then all the people in that delegation who were Newfoundlanders spontaneously gathered and sang the Ode to Newfoundland. I thought about you because you would have been so proud of them. They were the people you have represented here — military people, civilian people, passionate people who believed in their country, worked for their country, faced danger for their country and sang for their country. You did all those things, and you brought us joy as you did.

Then, of course, there is the wonderful woman that my husband refers to as Madam Rompkey. I do not know how many times I have heard him say: "Oh, there is a spouse's event.

Will Madam Rompkey be there? Because I will definitely go if she is there!"

She is a wonderful woman. She has a wonderful husband. We are so grateful that we have had the chance to know you.

Hon. Elizabeth Hubley:

Honourable senators, today we pay tribute to a senator who was known throughout his career not only for his vast knowledge and leadership abilities, but also for his genuine warmth and friendship. It has been a great pleasure for me to have known and worked with Senator Bill Rompkey over the past 10 years. I am delighted to rise today to offer him my appreciation and best wishes.

Senator Rompkey and I served together on the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, and it was here that I really came to know and deeply respect him. As chair of the committee, Senator Rompkey had a reputation for expertise and enthusiasm. I was always impressed with his ability to ask the right questions of the right people. He had a profound understanding of the issues, which I think came out of his connection to his home province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The fact that Senator Rompkey never forgot where he came from and always represented his home with pride and dedication is, perhaps, indicative of his long and successful career in Ottawa. Senator Rompkey wrote two books about Labrador and was a tireless champion for the region's people, resources and natural beauty.

Senator Rompkey's welcoming and open personality meant that he was often approached to participate in charitable events. I have always appreciated his contribution to the Canadian Landmine Foundation and fundraising to eradicate land mines, but more than anything I was grateful for his involvement in our group, "The Singing Senators." It was thanks to Senator Rompkey and his wonderful voice that we were invited to sing on more than one occasion.

Senator Rompkey, I wish you, Carolyn and your family all the best in your retirement. Good luck.

Hon. Marie-P. Poulin:

Honourable senators, it seems like only yesterday that the Honourable Bill Rompkey and I were sworn in as senators on September 21, 1995. Along with two others in that cohort of four, we dubbed ourselves as the Class of '95, although there had been two other appointments earlier that year.

That September cohort has all but graduated — Doris Anderson, Lorna Milne and now Bill Rompkey. By default, I am the only survivor. I am glad to say that it is age and not ability that is holding me back.

I look back at the Class of '95 with affection and on Bill Rompkey in particular. We not only became close workmates but fast friends. From the beginning of our association in the Senate, I recognized in Bill what every speaker is noting today: warmth and gentleness that is matched by humour, intelligence and knowledge.

Yes, what I saw in Bill as early as 1995 was a man committed to public service, with the emphasis on service.

Bill, you dedicated your life to Newfoundland and Labrador, its people, its places, and its issues. We saw the enthusiasm with which you served the people as a parliamentarian here in the Senate, as a member in the other place and as a minister. We witnessed the astuteness with which you fought for the issues that your people cared about. We read the books that you wrote telling readers about the places you love in Newfoundland and Labrador.

I also discovered the respect and admiration your former students still have for you. Some moved on to become Rhodes Scholars, and others are well respected television personalities.

Many of us have had the pleasure of listening to you play the piano, Bill, and when that happens all we want to do is sing and dance.

That is actually what the Honourable Bill Rompkey has been doing for the past 50 years. He makes people feel good about who they are.

Honourable senators, we are losing more than a colleague in this chamber of sober second thought. We are saying "well done" to a rare renaissance man, a Canadian from Newfoundland and Labrador who has demonstrated the courage of his convictions.

May you and Carolyn enjoy your next projects, Bill. Permit me, as the last member of the Class of September '95, to congratulate you as you graduate from this institution summa cum laude. Good luck, dear friend.

Hon. Pierrette Ringuette:

Honourable senators, I would like to join all the senators who have paid such wonderful tributes today to a remarkable man from Atlantic Canada.

I met Bill when I arrived on Parliament Hill in 1993. He was a member of the Atlantic caucus, and he was already showing how he could bring people together, muster efforts and achieve results.

A little later, upon my arrival in the Senate, I saw Bill in a different light. And I believe that each one of us today who has spoken about our colleague would say that there is one word that sums up Bill: harmony — harmony on committees, harmony in this chamber and, on a personal note, the harmony of an extraordinary voice.

Bill, the Singing Senators will not have an act anymore, because your harmony will be missing. We will miss you dearly. I hope that you will have a happy retirement with your lovely wife, your children and grandchildren. I hope that you will stay active to defend the causes that you have always espoused as a true Canadian. Thank you, Bill.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

Please click here to read more tributes to the Honourable Bill Rompkey, P.C.

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