Senator Tannas: I would also like to thank our tireless Speaker pro tempore for the terrific work that she does in supporting the chair.

Senator Tannas: But we do good work together, and we do actually have fun. It is a pleasure to be a part of such a good group of people. We are all united in caring deeply for this institution and for the country.

I would like to pay tribute to the new Speaker. Your transition into the position has been flawless. In fact, it’s hard to believe that you are new to the job.

Senator Tannas: I want to add my thanks to all staff members in all senators’ offices, the Senate Administration and, of course, those who keep us safe and secure. Without their ongoing professional support, we could not do our jobs.

I think that we are facing new challenges as we exit into post‑pandemic times, but I must say how glad I am that we are back here — and back together. You can see the richness in the debates that happened here in the chamber. I think that during the pandemic, a lot of the work that we did was transactional. We came, or we didn’t. We came in by technology, we spoke briefly, we voted and we moved on. It’s just nice to see us all back together, engaged, laughing, working together and thinking about the great questions of the world around us. I hope all of us enjoy this summer, and we’ll see you in the fall.

Thank you.

Hon. Scott Tannas: Honourable senators, if I could find an overarching theme for the last few months, I would say it’s this: getting back to normal. The Senate sat with a close-to-usual schedule. More and more committees were meeting. We still faced some limitations related to our work, but things are getting better all the time. I’m hopeful that at some point, we will be able to say that everything is back to normal — not that normal is perfect. I hope to work with all senators to continue to improve the workings of the chamber.

Since January, our committees have met over 320 times, sat for more than 500 hours and have heard from close to 1,300 witnesses. I think these are positive signals that things are going back to normal, and we are beginning to engage in the business of the Senate — the business that makes us truly valuable to the nation.

I would like to thank my Canadian Senators Group, or CSG, colleagues and our leadership team for their work in the chamber and in their respective committees. Their dedication to our founding principles — that this place should adhere to respecting the parliamentary process, to encouraging robust debate and to an independent Senate — has never wavered.

The last few months have been notable for our little group here in the corner, with three outstanding new colleagues: Senator Osler, Senator Rebecca Patterson and Senator Burey. Their membership places a stronger wind in our sails, and they have already become stalwarts of our group.

As we say goodbye to one extraordinary senator, and an outstanding Canadian, it is the magic of this place that we also have extraordinary Canadians and outstanding senators that have joined us since January. This place moves on with exceptional people, and it is an honour to serve with all of you.

A special thanks goes out to the staff of the CSG senators for their work over the last year, and for their counsel to the group. I’m appreciative to the staff in my office for their long hours and steadfast commitment to keeping the machine working.

I would like to thank my leadership colleagues. In fact, I have been allowed to — is it okay if I make the announcement? We are going away together on vacation this summer. I’m kidding! Can you imagine?