2nd Session, 41st Parliament,
Volume 149, Issue 147

Wednesday, June 3, 2015
The Honourable Leo Housakos, Speaker

Tributes

The Honourable Suzanne Fortin-Duplessis

Hon. Mobina S. B. Jaffer: Honourable senators, I am very proud to pay tribute to a remarkable woman, a person of integrity who loves her language and culture: Senator Suzanne Fortin-Duplessis. I will do my best to deliver a worthy tribute in French this afternoon. As you know, when I first arrived in the Senate, I did not speak French very well. Thanks to your encouragement and inspiration, I am proud to recognize you today in the language of Molière.

Honourable senators, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Senator Fortin-Duplessis for her many commitments as a parliamentarian. She was first elected to the House of Commons in 1984 and appointed to the Senate in December 2008. Her integrity, hard work, well-prepared questions, and her devotion to our institution have gained the admiration of all senators.

I had the opportunity to sit with her on a number of committees, including the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, where I could see how much her work meant to her. Regardless of the bill or study in question, Senator Fortin-Duplessis was always very well prepared and asked the witnesses very good questions.

I recently became a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages, where I had the chance to work with the senator on cultural and linguistic issues that are dear to her. Her devotion to her language and to our country is an example to us all, honourable senators.

Over the years, I had the good fortune to get to know not only an incredible woman, but also her husband, Maurice Duplessis. I want to thank you both for your friendship. You were both very gracious and kind to me.

In closing, I will remember Senator Fortin-Duplessis as a woman of integrity who was always well prepared and who cared a great deal about her work. She is leaving us for a well-deserved retirement, but her departure also reminds us that we need to look out for one another.

Senator Fortin-Duplessis and Mr. Duplessis, I thank you for your respect and kindness. I wish you and your family health and happiness. Thank you for your friendship. I will miss you very much.