Statement made on 08 December 2009 by Senator Lorna Milne (retired)
Hon. Lorna Milne:
Honourable senators, it is my tremendous pleasure and privilege to announce that our own Senator Vivienne Poy has been chosen to carry the Olympic torch in my home city of Toronto.
Even better, Senator Poy will carry the torch through the heart of the area where I grew up and that my father, Bill Dennison, represented on the Toronto Board of Education, City Council, in the provincial legislature and as comptroller and mayor for almost 35 years.
Senator Poy will carry the torch for 300 metres up Parliament Street, right through the middle of dad's old Cabbagetown area. She tells me she will not actually be running with it; just walking and perhaps even limping a bit. Senator Poy was nominated for this great honour by the Royal Bank of Canada as a community torch bearer to represent the many diverse communities of the great city of Toronto. She will be joining a most illustrious group that includes Sidney Crosby, Steve Nash, Shania Twain, Karen Kain and the young founders of Free the Children, Craig and Marc Kielburger.
Senator Poy's sponsor, the RBC, has been one of the longest standing supporters of Canada's Olympic team. In fact, they have been supporting the team since 1947. They also support the Paralympics as well as the torch relay runners this year, 12,000 people strong, from coast to coast to coast. The RBC also supports Hockey Canada and the Canadian Snowbirds, among other worthwhile enterprises.
Senator Poy is a most remarkable woman. She is responsible for the fact that Canada now officially recognizes May as Asian Heritage Month. She has been awarded a Gold Medal Award of Excellence in Race Relations, as well as an Eid-ul-Fitr Award from the Association of Progressive Muslims of Canada. She has served as Chancellor of the University of Toronto and, since I know of her great interest in genealogy, I personally was able to have her succeed me as the honourary patron of the Ontario Genealogical Society. We now realize that she will be known as an athlete, as well.
I offer my congratulations to Senator Poy. I do hope it will not snow on December 18 at 6:58 a.m. when she begins her run up Parliament Street in the darkness just before dawn.