The Hon. the Speaker informed the Senate that the honourable senator named above had made and subscribed the Declaration of Qualification required by the Constitution Act, 1867, in the presence of the Clerk of the Senate, the Commissioner appointed to receive and witness the said declaration.

Hon. Manuelle Oudar, of Quebec City, Quebec, introduced between Hon. Marc Gold, P.C., and Hon. Clément Gignac.

[Translation]

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 Manuelle Oudar has been summoned to the Senate.

[English]

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

(Debate adjourned.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Coyle, calling the attention of the Senate to the importance of finding solutions to transition Canada’s society, economy and resource use in pursuit of a fair, prosperous, sustainable and peaceful net-zero emissions future for our country and the planet.

The Hon. the Speaker having informed the Senate that there was a senator without waiting to be introduced:

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

Hon. Raymonde Saint-Germain: Honourable senators, I am deeply moved today to welcome a colleague from Quebec, the Honourable Manuelle Oudar. Her career, especially in the Quebec public service, has been no less impressive than her engagements and experience outside her work, which will serve her well as she performs her parliamentary duties.

Throughout her career, Senator Oudar has shown her talent for statecraft and public service. Whether as head of the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la Sécurité du travail, the Quebec regulatory body responsible for promoting labour rights and obligations, or within the various ministries where she worked, she successfully managed to meet the high demands of governance and to deliver quality services to the public, while respecting their rights, needs and dignity.

She has always respected and promoted social justice, especially when it comes to reducing economic and identity-related inequalities, fighting violence against women, and ensuring that young people have access to the most inclusive workforce possible. Her sensitivity to the changing nature of the labour market has directly influenced many young women, future leaders, whom she guided as a mentor.

[English]

Senator Oudar also proved herself to be a woman of action. In 2020, then the CEO of Quebec Labour Standards, Equity, Health and Safety in the Workplace Commission, or CNESST, she successfully led the organization of more than 5,000 employees through the biggest health crisis of the early part of this century.

Committed to helping the public, she embodied the importance of social dialogue, notably by overseeing the production of the first practical guide to labour standards in the Quebec construction industry. This guide became a cornerstone, not only for the protection of workers, but also for supporting the industry’s economic activity. Testifying to its success, 26 evolving guides have been produced in a very short duration of time, allowing Quebec to avoid economic paralysis while protecting its workers.

Under Senator Oudar’s leadership, the commission was awarded the United Nations Public Service Award in 2022.

Considering her past achievements, Senator Oudar’s values, skills, expertise and accomplishments, as well as her keen understanding of the constitutional responsibilities enshrined in our institutions, are outstanding assets for her tenure as a parliamentarian.

I have no doubt that the continuation of her public service from the executive branch to the legislative one will be as smooth and successful as her career has been so far, and to that I can personally speak as well.

Senator Oudar, I speak for all members of the Independent Senators Group as I congratulate you on your appointment and express how delighted we are to have you as a colleague.

[Translation]

Welcome to the Senate of Canada.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I rise today to welcome our new colleague to the red chamber.

Senator Manuelle Oudar represents the province of Quebec. She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in law from Université Laval. She is a member of the Barreau du Québec, the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés du Québec and the Ordre des administrateurs agréés du Québec. She is a respected lawyer and advocate for justice who has devoted her entire career to serving the public.

Senator Oudar spent 30 years in legal affairs management positions in Quebec’s Ministry of Culture, Communications and Status of Women, Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity, and Ministry of Family. She also served as deputy minister at the province’s Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Education.

For the past eight years, Senator Oudar served as the president and CEO of the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité au travail, the CNESST, whose mission is to promote workplace health and safety management and to protect workers’ rights, while ensuring compliance with the applicable laws and regulations.

Senator Oudar has shared her experience and expertise with youth and served as a mentor to young professionals. Her contributions and achievements were recognized in 2017 when she was named one of the 100 most influential women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network, or WXN, and again in 2023 when she was awarded the Prix Femmes de mérite 2023 by the Women’s Y Foundation of Montréal.

We are indeed fortunate to welcome Senator Oudar, who has a wealth of experience. Senator Oudar, I look forward to working with you. Congratulations.

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, on behalf of the opposition and the Senate Conservative caucus, I am pleased to rise today to welcome our newest colleague, Senator Manuelle Oudar, representing the senatorial division of La Salle, in Quebec.

[English]

Senator Oudar, we are all looking forward to working with you in your new role as a senator.

Colleagues, as I was preparing these remarks, I was pleased to find an interesting link between Senator Oudar and her predecessor, the Honourable Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu. Both have been actively outspoken about combatting violence against women. The recent retirement of Senator Boisvenu has left big shoes to fill here in the Senate on this issue. I find solace in knowing that Senator Oudar will be a voice in our chamber and on Parliament Hill for this very important cause.

Senator Oudar is a respected lawyer, leader and advocate for justice. She has spent more than three decades in the Quebec public service, serving her community through her involvement with various organizations, mentorship programs and initiatives.

Senator Oudar, I wish you well in the upper chamber. I look forward to hearing your perspective in the context of your experiences and background. These are very interesting times, in which our role of due diligence is crucial, as it may offer hope to the good people across our country.

Please know that members of the Conservative caucus look forward to working in collaboration with you on ways to improve the lives of Canadians by working and fighting for their best interests.

[Translation]

Once again, on behalf of the opposition and the Conservative caucus, I wish you a warm welcome to the Senate of Canada and to the Senate family.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

[English]

Senator Tannas: On behalf of my colleagues in the Canadian Senators Group, I welcome Senator Oudar to the Senate as the fourteenth senator from the senatorial division of La Salle. For over three decades, Senator Oudar has been a notable public sector leader and lawyer with an expertise in labour laws in Quebec.

We now have 17 lawyers or legal scholars in the Senate, with a range of expertise from constitutional to corporate to administrative and from human rights to now labour law with Senator Oudar’s arrival. If the Senate ever wanted to form its own law firm, it would likely have one of the most diverse ranges of legal fields, legal scholars and notables in Canada.

Senator Oudar, your expertise, which was a missing piece of our firm, will be of great benefit to us as senators. I look forward to the contributions that you will make in our debates.

We in the CSG are paying close attention to the appointment process. It is just like watching the time go down on the scoreboard. We see the number of vacancies also go down towards the ultimate goal of a full chamber where each region has its full complement of senators with no provinces left behind. We are encouraged, and we look forward to more appointments.

To our new senator — Senator Oudar — and to those who have arrived here recently, I have a few pieces of advice.

Number one: You know that feeling of awe and wonderment the first time you walk into this place? Hold on to it for as long as you can, since it will help you during the long sittings. To sit in this place is not only a privilege, but a responsibility.

Number two: Pace yourselves. Legislative and policy changes are marathons, not sprints. All good things take time. Our system is designed for thorough review and debate so that good ideas can be refined into better ideas.

Number three: Find good staff. Surrounding yourself with bright minds will help you achieve your goals. Your challenge is balancing experience with bringing in fresh perspectives and youthful enthusiasm.

Number four: Never disregard sleep. Contrary to the opinions of some outside this chamber, we work very long hours. Emotions can run high, and a sound mind is a must to navigate numerous political obstacles that will be put in front of you. A good night’s sleep is the cure to a cluttered mind full of burdens.

Finally, number five: Always be wary of long-time senators offering unsolicited advice.

Some Hon. Senators: Oh, oh!

Senator Tannas: Senator Oudar, your skills and perspectives are both needed and wanted here, and we — in the Canadian Senators Group — look forward to working with you.

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Honourable senators, as the new representative of the Progressive Senate Group, I am pleased to join the other leaders in welcoming Senator Manuelle Oudar. What is more, the first welcome I am extending in this new position is to a colleague with a remarkable career in my province’s public service.

An accomplished jurist, she held legal affairs management positions at various Quebec ministries, including the Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity, the Ministry of Family, the Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sport, and the Ministry of Culture, Communications and Status of Women. In Quebec, we like ministries with long names. Over the years, she also demonstrated management skills that earned her positions such as Assistant Deputy Minister of Networks at the Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sport and Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Labour.

In 2016, she became the president and CEO of the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail du Québec. She then oversaw its merger with two other commissions, when it became the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail, or CNESST, an organization made up of about 5,000 people.

In 2022, CNESST received a United Nations award for its efforts in favour of gender equality, economic justice, equity in the labour market, empowering women and reducing inequality and wage gaps.

It’s no surprise, then, that last year our colleague was awarded the Prix Femmes de mérite by the Women’s Y Foundation of Montréal, in the public service sector. I should also point out that our colleague is an accredited mediator, which is likely to prove a very useful quality when it comes to building consensus in committee.

On a personal note, she is also the co-CEO of a family of seven children, along with Pierre Reid, who is here with us today and who is also a Quebec lawyer and senior civil servant.

[English]

In conclusion, our new colleague brings a wealth of experience that we will soon have the opportunity to share.

Welcome, Senator Oudar, to your new home — the upper house of Parliament — where you will work for the well-being of Canadians along with talented colleagues representing the rich diversity of our country.

[Translation]

Welcome, senator.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Pierre Reid, spouse of the Honourable Senator Oudar, her children Yarie Oudar Conte Reid and Samuel Reid, her parents Simone Pietri and Gérard Oudar, and her sisters Elisabeth and Valérie. They are accompanied by other members of the Honourable Senator Oudar’s family.

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

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, senator.

I’ve been advised that the Treasury Board employs what is called the Quality of Life Framework for Canada, which brings together key economic, social and environmental datasets to support the measurement of Canadians’ quality of life and help drive evidence-based budgeting and decision making at the federal level. Specifically, the Quality of Life Framework for Canada consists of a set of 84 indicators, organized into a series of domains, including health, society, prosperity, environment and good governance.

That is a lens through which the Treasury Board does evaluate policies and decision making within its ambit.

Senator Osler: Health is complex, and the health care crisis has been called a “wicked” problem, meaning that there are multiple interdependencies, multiple causes and no single, clear solution. While I’m pleased to see that the federal government now has bilateral health care agreements signed with seven provinces and territories, I’m concerned that, once all the agreements are in place, the federal government will simply sit back and say, “job done.” Money alone will not fix Canada’s antiquated health care system.

Beyond the funding agreements, what is the federal government’s vision and long-term plan for health care?

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): With leave of the Senate, I would like to take adjournment of the debate for the remainder of my time.

Hon. René Cormier (The Hon. the Acting Speaker): Is leave granted, honourable senators?

The Hon. the Acting Speaker: Is leave granted, honourable senators?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.