Hon. Scott Tannas: Honourable senators, on behalf of the Canadian Senators Group, I would like to add my voice today in welcoming Ian Shugart to the Senate of Canada.

Of course, to some senators present here today, sir, yours is already a very familiar face. My colleagues in the chamber have noted Senator Shugart’s significant contributions to the public service in Canada. I know soon he will make an equally meaningful contribution in the Senate and that his addition today to our chamber will strengthen us even more.

Senator Shugart was recently sworn into the King’s Privy Council for Canada, the first to be named under King Charles III. This is a reflection of his experience and the confidence that is placed in him by Canada.

In welcome speeches, senators usually try to dispense some wisdom to newly appointed members of this chamber. Senator Shugart, you have made this an easy task. I will actually use your own words that you once said to a group of new parliamentarians back in January. You said:

Never ever lose that sense of expectancy that brought you here. That sense of purpose that brought you here. That flame should never go out. . . . We are here for a time and a purpose, and that purpose is the institutions and the public welfare. We’re holders of an amazing privilege — to be responsible, to be representative of the public interest.

I could not have said it better, sir. We are all here with the great privilege of representing our regions and scrutinizing legislation in a responsible and sober way.

Welcome to the Senate of Canada, Senator Shugart. We in the Canadian Senators Group look forward to working with you.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the family of the Honourable Senator Shugart: his spouse, Linda, and his daughter, Heather.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, I’m pleased to join the other leaders in welcoming Senator Shugart as the newest member of the Red Chamber.

As others have already mentioned, Senator Shugart, you have dedicated your career to public service, demonstrating your commitment to Canadians, as well as to the institutions of government.

Most recently, your work as Clerk of the Privy Council tested your abilities to face new challenges. Specifically, you led the public service’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, while also addressing heightened calls to tackle systemic racism in our institutions. In your 28th Annual Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada, you wrote, “Our country needs deep reflection on who we are and who we want to be.” On this — the eve of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — it feels particularly meaningful.

Though some of us joined the Senate as complete novices, you do have the advantage of already intimately understanding the mechanisms of government. Indeed, you have even appeared as a witness in committee, both in the other place and here in the Senate. I’m sure that those senators who once had the opportunity to question you will now join me in welcoming you to the other side of the table.

As a former teacher, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that you earned another title this month, in addition to that of senator, and that is professor or teacher. I am certain that students at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy will be well served by your wisdom and your expertise.

Senator Shugart, through your lifelong devotion to public service, you are already well aware of some of the challenges you will face in this chamber. Though we are all here to make this country a better place for everyone, we may not always agree on how best to achieve that. Similarly, as we continue to modernize this institution, the same concept holds true. I believe that our work will always be enhanced by this need to balance those often-competing voices. It is clear that your commitment to diversity and inclusion, as well as your decades of knowledge and experience, will certainly serve you well in your new role as a senator.

It is always exciting to see what one’s next chapter in life will be, and I am pleased that yours will allow you to continue your service to Canadians. I look forward to working with you and, on behalf of the Progressive Senate Group, I would like to officially welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

Hon. Ian Shugart, P.C., of Ottawa, Ontario, introduced between Hon. Marc Gold, P.C., and Hon. Tony Dean.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I have the honour to inform the Senate that the Clerk of the Senate has received a certificate from the Registrar General of Canada showing that Ian Douglas Shugart has been summoned to the Senate.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I have the honour to inform the Senate that the Clerk of the Senate has received a certificate from the Registrar General of Canada showing that Ian Douglas Shugart has been summoned to the Senate.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, it is a great pleasure to welcome the Honourable Ian Shugart as our newest colleague representing the province of Ontario.

Senator Shugart has had a long and illustrious career in Canada’s civil service spanning more than four decades.

From 1980 to 1982, Senator Shugart worked as a constitutional policy adviser for the Leader of the Opposition Joe Clark. As a matter of fact, in that capacity he was hired by the leader’s Chief of Staff at the time, our colleague Senator Harder. During those years, he also worked closely with Jake Epp, a minister in the Clark government whose election campaign had been chaired by our colleague Senator Plett. As Senator Shugart’s career progressed, and he took on the position of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, one of his close associates was our colleague Senator Boehm.

As a constitutional policy adviser during the period 1980-82, Senator Shugart, in all likelihood, spent time in this very building. The constitutional negotiations between federal and provincial counterparts were being held here in the rooms now designated for Senate committee hearings.

Senator Shugart, I imagine that you never anticipated a return to Ottawa’s old railway station in order to take your seat as the newest senator from Ontario.

As we all know, Senator Shugart brings a wealth of policy experience to our chamber in the areas of health, environment, employment and social development and foreign affairs. His knowledge on these matters is a welcome asset to this chamber. His time as Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet capped off a successful career serving governments of both stripes.

Speaking for myself — and all of us, I am sure — I look forward to working with you, Senator Shugart, and I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

Hon. Raymonde Saint-Germain: Honourable senators, it is a privilege for me, as someone who recognizes and appreciates the value of public service, to welcome a distinguished public servant, our new colleague, the Honourable Senator Ian Douglas Shugart, P.C.

Your appointment, Senator Shugart, is indeed the culmination of an outstanding career entirely devoted to public service. In accepting this appointment to the upper chamber, you have chosen to continue your dedication to serving Canadians.

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Since 1991, you have held numerous senior leadership positions in the federal public sector, including Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Employment and Social Development, as well as Global Affairs. All three portfolios closely related to challenges faced by governments all around the world and challenges at the heart of contemporary issues we must address here at the Senate.

You have served with impartiality and dedication under six prime ministers — a great achievement, as well as testimony to your professionalism and excellence.

Your outstanding journey through the public service culminated in 2019 with your appointment as the twenty-fourth Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet. As the head of Canada’s public service, you helped lead the country through the unprecedented challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. For the latter, we all owe you a debt of gratitude.

With your swearing in today, you find yourself back on Parliament Hill, although on its other side. The multidisciplinary nature of your experience — your in-depth knowledge of public policy, of the subtle relationship between the legislative and executive branches, and of the complementarity between the two chambers of Parliament — makes you perfectly suited to fulfill the duties of a senator.

The Senate must serve for the benefit of Canadians. For that to happen, it is our responsibility to ensure — in this upper chamber of sober second thought — a healthy clash of ideas, while maintaining freedom of conscience and the modern governance that fits the contemporary needs of democratic institutions.

I believe in these ideals, as I know you do. Hence, I look forward to working alongside you in leaning closer toward achieving them.

Through my voice, all the members of the Independent Senators Group congratulate you and wish you a warm welcome to the Senate of Canada.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the family of the Honourable Senator Shugart: his spouse, Linda, and his daughter, Heather.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.