Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: I, too, want to pay tribute to Senator Dennis Dawson. Others have talked about his long and successful political career. I want to focus on the Dennis I know, the man who just so happened to become my unofficial mentor when I arrived in the Senate four years ago.

At the time, we were both serving on the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications. We were studying the controversial Bill C-48, designed to ban oil tankers in northern British Columbia. The committee chair was a tough, experienced Conservative senator. I was getting my first taste of politics.

Then there he was, Dennis Dawson, who welcomed me by telling me how the new independent senators had no understanding of Senate traditions, how they were arrogant and wanted to change everything for no reason. That was just my first impression of him, a man with a bit of bluster and an attitude that struck me as slightly paternalistic.

I swallowed, listened, and tried, little by little, to absorb the stories, anecdotes, and advice that Dennis offered as crises arose in the transport committee. It happened often.

At that time, I often watched, from the outside, the male senators going about their business, acting much like a boys’ club.

I made some mistakes, of course. Dennis was patient and understanding, and he told me that it takes time to understand this political game. He also stood up for me when my right to speak was not recognized and I was distraught by so many procedural battles. Dennis was available, generous, and I ended up laughing at his gruff approach to all of our exchanges.

The best advice he gave me, and that I still try to follow today, is simple: Choose your battles, set your ego aside and do not waste too much energy on the little things, even if you think you are right. The ultimate goal is to be a good legislator, not to win every battle.

The second important piece of advice he gave me was to maintain relationships, have informal discussions with political opponents, and make compromises to move forward.

Still, we are all human. Sometimes Dennis does not follow his own advice. I have seen him lose patience in committee and fly off the handle.

You know that Senator Dawson has a big heart; I have seen it many times. He is a true Liberal who was hurt to be removed from the Liberal caucus in the wake of the Senate reform, but he overcame that hurt and regained his optimism thanks to the creation of the Progressive Senate Group.

He and I struck a good balance during the study of Bill C-11. I was no longer the new kid, he was calmer; our discussions were no longer one-sided. Dennis can be quite self-deprecating.

For four years he kept telling me that he was ready to retire, but never followed through. I think becoming a grandfather is what did it. He is quite smitten. We look at pictures of his granddaughter together, and Dennis Dawson, the sarcastic, sometimes cynical man, smiles beatifically. Thank you for everything, Dennis, my friend.

Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: Would Senator Dawson take a question?

Senator Dawson: Certainly.

Senator Miville-Dechêne: Senator Dawson, I want to thank you for sponsoring both this bill and Bill C-11. It must be a lot of work for you.

My question may be a thorny one. As a Quebecer, I will vote in favour of this bill. Everyone in Quebec agrees that it must not lose any seats. However, as someone who studied political science, I am particularly interested in the issue of representation and the somewhat equal number of constituents represented by one member of Parliament. Obviously, I know that Canada’s system isn’t perfect and that MPs from remote areas already represent fewer constituents than MPs from big cities.

Nevertheless, this bill would set a seat floor for provinces with the slowest-growing populations. Are you uncomfortable with this compromise — since this is essentially a compromise on the principles of representation — or, rather, would you say that a number of compromises have already been made in the past? I’m thinking of other provinces that have fewer constituents per MP.

I’d like to hear your thoughts on this, since I’ve been pondering these matters of principle myself.

Senator Dawson: Thank you for your question, senator.

I myself studied political science at Laval University and the University of Ottawa, and I agree with you about the inherent problems with representation. However, the bill has nothing to do with that kind of representation at all. That is not what this bill is about. It is about representation among the provinces and a grandfather clause to preserve 78 seats, similar to the one we created to protect the Maritime provinces a few years ago.

We could certainly debate this and even get deeper into issues of future electoral reform, but unfortunately this bill does not give me the latitude to address that.

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