Hon. Marty Deacon: Honourable senators, today — June 1 — marks many important things. As we recognize National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month, I wish to also speak to National Health and Fitness Day, which takes place this upcoming Saturday.

The National Health and Fitness Day Act was created by us here and in the other place in order to work with our communities to do our very best to ensure that the support, infrastructure and things we need are there so that every Canadian has the opportunity to be active.

This year, as we head into Saturday, and in recognition of National Indigenous History Month, I would like to share with you a poem written by our former Parliamentary Poet Laureate Louise Bernice Halfe — her Cree name is Sky Dancer — as she thought about the intent of National Health and Fitness Day. The poem is called “Over Sixty-five.” It goes like this:

Sometimes the spirit of the body

has no inclination to move.

Yet,

the cool water on throbbing feet

after a half-hearted run

refreshes one’s resolve.

The heart-throb

and gasp for breath

drives

this reluctant exhilaration.

Sitting in a canoe

paddle dipping, gliding past

cliffs and forest,

hand cutting the water.

This gentle sweep

moves spirit and body.

Each morning my husband and I

lift weights.

Stretch above our heads,

bend at the waist,

arms flapping into a butterfly.

Leg press: kneeling has never been

so easy.

We work our

turkey waddle triceps

do full length planks.

We are over sixty-five.

For three years

our feet covered

over two hundred miles

of the Saskatchewan prairie.

From the grasslands

to the rocky mounds of

the angels at the Mystery Rocks,

to the murdered sites

where we paid homage

to the original tribes.

We push beyond the limitations

of our reluctance.

Honor body, mind and spirit.

These gifts

of wind, sun, water and earth

course through our veins.

Colleagues, I encourage you to think about those words this weekend. I also want to thank you for your social media posts in past years, for your energy and for your desire to share what gets you moving. Please keep them coming, and use the hashtags that were sent to each of you today.

I also invite all senators who are in Ottawa this weekend to join us at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning at the front entrance of the Senate of Canada building for a light walk through some great parts of Ottawa. Please join us if you can.

Thank you. Meegwetch.

Hon. Marty Deacon: Good afternoon, honourable senators. As the sun shines, there is certainly a solid feeling of renewed energy here in Ottawa and across this beautiful country. This weekend, Ottawa hosted many performing arts events and activities in the downtown area. There were a variety of performing arts activities taking place, particularly in hotel rooms with young performers. They were inspiring. They were phenomenal to see and hear. Outside, Ottawa calls this race weekend, and all of this was not to be for sure until late Wednesday night, early Thursday. The debris of the storm, and the damage done, had a serious impact on whether or not race weekend could carry on after a two-year absence. But finally, and with great thanks to the city, the mayor, the city staff and Ottawa Hydro, they were able to make the race course as smooth as possible even for people a little older than usual to navigate their way through on the weekend.

You could feel the streets alive, feel the streets coming back and the feeling that Ottawa folks were just thrilled to be together, whether it was families or folks at the front of their houses. The signs that people made for the community were absolutely embracing, engaging and phenomenal — and also very funny at times.

This is a great prelude to National Health and Fitness Day, which is Saturday, June 4. This is our week leading up to it.

Senators, I urge you to look after yourselves first and how we find that balance with our physical, emotional and mental health. I encourage you to get out, be active and find best what works for you.

The bill that was passed for National Health and Fitness Day was passed with the intent of us, parliamentarians, working with the House and our communities to do our very best to make sure the support, infrastructure and things that we need are there to ensure every Canadian — every Canadian — has the opportunity to be active.

So beyond this, and looking to some examples of this, tomorrow we’re going to have a special group of guests in the Senate. I’m really delighted to be able to host them, and you will certainly be introduced to them.

It is an example of where folks take the lead and find activities that work best for young people. So here in Ottawa, and in our local community, there is the first, frankly, women’s tackle football team. Yes, it is, and you have to really think about that. Made up of athletes from St. Mark High School and St. Joseph High School, under the leadership of their coaches Blaine and Andy, they are doing something very special. These girls are in the sport that is the last sport to have an equal opportunity in the province of Ontario in all sports. They are very excited about visiting. They are a great example about being active and finding ways to make it all work. I’m giving them an early welcome, but I also welcome all of you to be reminded of National Health and Fitness Day. Thank you, meegwetch.