Statement made on 23 June 2009 by Senator Claudette Tardif
Hon. Claudette Tardif (Deputy Leader of the Opposition):
Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to the Honourable Lise Bacon. I am going against her wishes, since she asked to not have a tribute in her honour. But I would be remiss if I did not say a few words about her incredible political career.
Senator Bacon has made an invaluable contribution for all Canadians in her work as a member of the Quebec National Assembly and as a senator.
In the Quebec provincial government, she was elected MNA for Bourassa in 1973 and for Chomedey in 1981. She was quickly promoted to cabinet as Secretary of State for Social Affairs, then Minister of Consumers, Cooperatives and Financial Institutions and Minister of Immigration. She continued to climb the ladder and was appointed Deputy Premier of Quebec, Minister of Cultural Affairs and Minister Responsible for the Bureau of Human Resources, the Public Service Commission, and the Application of the Charter of the French Language. She was a member of the Treasury Board, then Minister of the Environment, Minister of Energy and Resources and Minister of Regional Development.
Since she was first appointed to the Senate in 1994, her presence, expertise and effectiveness have been greatly appreciated in many committees, such as the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, the Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources, the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament, and the Standing Joint Committee on the Scrutiny of Regulations.
In the Senate, she has been Vice-Chair of the Quebec Liberal caucus and Chair of the Standing Committee on Transport and Communications, the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, and the Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs.
As a committee chair she had an admirable sense of fairness. Being highly productive in whatever she undertakes, she was an invaluable asset to the Senate. And of course, her boundless love for Quebec, her beautiful home province, and for our country was a great comfort to us all, since she always worked with our best interests at heart.
I would particularly like to highlight Senator Bacon's work as President of the Canada-France Inter-Parliamentary Association. Over her eight years as President, she forged ever stronger bonds between our two countries. The members of both the Canada-France Inter-Parliamentary Association and the Groupe d'amitié France-Canada have nothing but praise for Senator Bacon's remarkable work, and I can attest to that myself, since I was a member of the latter group.
Senator Bacon, it was an honour to work under you and with you. Your presence will be felt in the Senate and in our hearts for a long time to come.
On behalf of all honourable senators, I thank you and wish you well in this next chapter of your life.