Hon. F. Gigi Osler: Honourable senators, I rise today to recognize the service of my colleague from Manitoba the Honourable Pat Bovey. Senator Bovey was one of the first people to reach out and welcome me to this chamber when my appointment was announced last year.

But, dear colleagues, while you may know her as a distinguished senator or author or art historian, I must inform you that there are some aspects of her life that have been omitted from her official biography, and I feel obliged to share them with you today.

For example, did you know that she is a marriage commissioner? In September 2020, it was the Honourable Pat Bovey who officiated the marriage between my aunt Sally Osler and her now-husband, Donald Benham. Furthermore, it was then that Senator Bovey revealed that were it not for a twist of fate, she could have been a star on the dance stage. In her speech at the wedding, Senator Bovey told us that her parents had been good friends with my aunt’s parents. Both mothers enrolled them in a ballroom dancing class with a teacher whom we will call Mrs. Wendt. Senator Bovey told the congregation:

The fall session was great. We had fun, sort of. I remember eating an awful lot of doughnuts. It was such a success that the parents decided in January there would be another term of ballroom dancing. Two weeks into the second session of these ballroom dancing lessons, Mrs. Wendt didn’t turn up. Mrs. Wendt went with all the money that our parents had paid for the second session.

And so, Senator Bovey’s dance career went out the door with Mrs. Wendt, and we can only wonder what could have been.

Undeterred, she went on to become the director of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and then the director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

She has sat on more than a dozen boards, including the National Gallery of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts.

She chaired the University of Manitoba’s board of governors.

Since her Senate appointment in November 2016, she proposed two pieces of legislation, and initiated a dialogue on the value of Canadian art to society and culture.

She chaired the Senate’s Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group, and oversaw the installation of the Senate’s first art display to honour Black artists.

Despite the demands of her busy schedule, she wrote and published two books on Canadian artists — all while fitting in visits with her beloved children and grandchildren.

Senator Bovey may be retiring from this chamber today, but I know that she will continue to be a powerful force.

On behalf of the people of Manitoba, I thank Senator Bovey for her work and dedication.

Meegwetch.