Hon. Stan Kutcher: Honourable senators, I rise today to join others in recognizing the contributions made by Senator Mercer during his career in this chamber.

I will focus on Terry the person, for after all, it is who we are as people that underlies how we behave and how we work with others to achieve meaningful goals.

Terry proudly says he represents not just Nova Scotia, but specifically the community in the North End of Halifax that helped form him.

He was the third of five children, which, if anyone is familiar with the “middle child syndrome,” may explain some things. For those who are unfamiliar with that piece of psychological mythology, here are the characteristics that are purported to be present: peacemaker, competitive, team player, independent thinker, friendship-focused and “they act out to get attention.” Each of us can ponder the aptness of that description.

Terry’s father was a chief engineer in the navy in World War II and in peacetime worked in the Halifax dockyard. His mother not only took the lead in raising the children but ran her own catering business, focusing on cakes, cookies and other sweets. That might help explain Terry’s prodigious sweet tooth. Indeed, in pre-COVID days, I could always tell if Senator Mercer had entered a committee room first –- all the good treats were gone from the hospitality tray.

His upbringing instilled a strong sense of community and the necessity for working hard to overcome the slings and arrows that outrageous fortune sent his way — and it did. Without going into the details here, Terry did just that.

He attended university at Saint Mary’s where he and Ellen met, beginning their long and mutually supportive life together. When she came down with ovarian cancer, they fought it together, and they continue their work to help find a cure for this terrible disease. They are a team. We acknowledge and celebrate your teamwork. However, I also feel compelled to point out that many who know them both consider Ellen to be the brains of the operation.

Their son Mike grew up in a household where politics was like oxygen. When he answered the phone, it could have been the Prime Minister calling. But Mike used this to his advantage. When he first met Lisa, who now is his wife, he wanted to impress her so much. So on their first date, he took her to a garden party at 24 Sussex Drive. That seemed to work, and now Terry and Ellen have two wonderful grandchildren, Ellie and Oliver. Terry, now you and Ellen will have more time to spoil them.

Terry respects and cares about the people he works with. David Sheppard, his director of parliamentary Affairs, once told me that it didn’t matter who you were; the boss always asked after how you were doing.

After I was appointed to the Senate, Terry was one of the first to reach out and give advice. He said, “It’s not just the position of senator that is important but how you fill that role.”

Thank you, Terry. God bless and may the wind fully fill your sails.