Hon. Krista Ross, of Fredericton, New Brunswick, introduced between Hon. Marc Gold, P.C., and Hon. Jim Quinn.

The following honourable senator was introduced; presented His Majesty’s writ of summons; took the oath prescribed by law, which was administered by the Clerk of the Senate; and was seated:

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, on behalf of the Government Representative Office, I am pleased to rise today to welcome to the Senate of Canada Senators Krista Ross, Joan Kingston, John McNair and Réjean Aucoin.

Senator Krista Ross has been a well-known business figure in Fredericton and is a celebrated community and business leader. She was a private business owner as well as Chief Executive Officer of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce for 12 years and its general manager for 8 years. She was a vocal representative and advocate for the Fredericton business community for more than two decades.

As a community advocate, Senator Ross is a board member of the Fredericton Community Foundation, the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Business advisory board and the Ignite Fredericton Seed Board. She has also served as a commissioner with the Electoral Boundaries and Representation Commission for New Brunswick.

Senator Ross was recently named to the Council of Excellence of the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Canada, was twice named Chamber Executive of the Year in Canada and named a Top 50 CEO for Atlantic Canada. She is also a recipient of the Advocacy in Action Silver Award from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Senator Joan Kingston is a registered nurse and a consultant with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of New Brunswick. She was previously a lecturer and clinical instructor in that department. Senator Kingston is also a former provincial parliamentarian and held the posts of Minister of Labour and Minister of the Environment as well as Principal Secretary of Government Affairs for the Office of the Premier of New Brunswick.

Senator Kingston is an active community member and health advocate. She is the Chairperson of the Community Action Group on Homelessness and has worked with the Specific Patient Oriented Research, or SPOR, Network in Primary and Integrated Health Care Innovations as well as with the Fredericton Non-Profit Housing Corporation. She is the former president of the Nurses Association of New Brunswick and, in 2021, was inducted as Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing.

Senator John McNair, who will also be representing New Brunswick, holds Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law degrees from the University of New Brunswick. For the past 14 years, Senator McNair has been General Counsel and Corporate Secretary to Service New Brunswick. He also served as Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Minister of Justice for the Province of New Brunswick from 1998-99.

Senator McNair has been actively involved in his community and has served on the boards of many non-profits, including Housing Alternatives, Rehabitat, the YMCA of Greater Saint John, Literacy New Brunswick, Symphony New Brunswick and the Exhibition Association of the City and County of Saint John, to name a few. I know that we will benefit from his legal and political experience as well as his broad knowledge of the not-for-profit sector.

[Translation]

Lastly, I am pleased to welcome Senator Réjean Aucoin from Chéticamp, Nova Scotia. Senator Aucoin is a passionate Acadian and a staunch supporter of the Acadian community, who practised law for over 30 years. During that time, he noticed the lack of French legal services for Acadians and francophones, which led him to found the Association des juristes d’expression française de la Nouvelle-Écosse. He is also the founder and president of the Conseil économique de Chéticamp.

Before becoming a lawyer, Senator Aucoin worked as a journalist, radio producer, writer and community development officer. He has received many awards and distinctions for his unwavering commitment to the Acadian community, including the 2017 lawyer’s award from the Association des juristes d’expression française de la Nouvelle-Écosse, the community development award from the Nova Scotia branch of the Canadian Bar Association, and the community partner award from the Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada.

It is a great privilege to welcome Senators Ross, Kingston, McNair and Aucoin to the Senate of Canada today.

[English]

I look forward to working with you, colleagues, and know that we will benefit from your experience and your insight. Welcome to the Senate.

Hon. Rebecca Patterson: On behalf of my colleagues from the Canadian Senators Group, I want to welcome Senators Aucoin, McNair, Ross and Kingston.

[English]

With these appointments made by the Prime Minister on October 31, the Maritimes representation in the Senate is almost at full strength, but we’re still waiting for one more from Prince Edward Island.

It has been noted by many — in this chamber and outside — that this grouping of appointments will deepen the Senate’s pool of knowledge and strength. We’ve added very strong individuals with political experience and community service, and this really is a good thing. It’s also important to note that each of the new senators are very strong advocates for their provinces, and I certainly hope that your passion for your regions will continue in this place.

The original architects of the Senate designed this chamber to provide a regional lens to national policies and to ensure that all Canadians are represented. This role was important in 1867, and it’s still important in 2023.

Honourable senators, our former colleague Senator Elaine McCoy once wrote that, “The Senate is a built-in safety valve . . . ” in Parliament to protect regional interests while keeping the country together.

In addition to her thoughts, I would state that the Senate is not only in place to ensure there is regional representation, but it’s also a place for sober second thought and civil discourse on issues that really matter to Canadians. That is the challenge you accepted by being here, and I am absolutely certain that you are more than up to it.

[Translation]

We hope you will all continue to act as representatives of your regions within our federation. We are welcoming to our Senate ranks two new legal experts.

Senator Aucoin, it is a pleasure to welcome in this chamber another Acadian senator who is a strong advocate for the French language.

[English]

Senator McNair, your longstanding dedication to public service is admirable, and I suspect that we might soon need to expand the size of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee because of all this new incoming expertise.

We also add Senator Ross, a strong community advocate and an accomplished entrepreneur in New Brunswick.

Finally, we welcome Senator Kingston. Personally, I am very pleased to be joined by another nursing professional in this chamber, certainly at a time when health care is in crisis in this country. Your expertise and voice are very welcome.

To each of our new senators, welcome to the Senate of Canada. My colleagues and I look forward to working with you. Thank you.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Rachel Ross-Hamilton, Senator Ross’s daughter. She is accompanied by other family members and friends of Senator Ross.

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