Senator Mary Jane McCallum

Honourable senators, I rise today to speak to Government Motion No. 1, which conveys the Senate of Canada’s thanks to Her Excellency, the Governor General of Canada, for delivering the Speech from the Throne. One of the main themes of this Throne Speech delivered in November of 2021 was a renewed pledge and commitment to the importance of reconciliation. This, of course, is not a surprise given Prime Minister Trudeau has boldly stated that there is no more important relationship to him and to C…

Honourable senators, I rise today to speak at second reading of Bill S-201, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and the Regulation Adapting the Canada Elections Act for the Purposes of a Referendum (voting age). I would like to thank Senator McPhedran for bringing this initiative forward and for her tireless work and advocacy on this file. I would like to begin with a quote from Ms. Diane Redsky, a citizen of Shoal Lake 40 First Nation and recipient of an honourary law degree from the Univ…

Honourable senators, first of all, I would like to thank Senator Kutcher for bringing this bill forward. This has been triggering for me, and that is the most important time to speak: when your voice shakes. Do not withhold discipline from your children; if you beat them with a rod, they will not die. If you beat them with the rod, you will save their lives from Sheol. That is from Proverbs 23:13-14. The little girl of eight years old looked at her white blouse where a spot of blood had dro…

Honourable senators, I rise today to speak to Inquiry No. 11 concerning the historical treatment of our Chinese brothers and sisters. It is critical that we, as senators and citizens of Canada, understand how immigration policies have continued to shape racism within our country. I want to thank Senator Woo for bringing forward this inquiry, and for highlighting the need to combat contemporary forms of exclusion and discrimination still faced by Canadians of Asian descent today. Colleagues, in…

Honourable senators, I rise today as the Senate sponsor of Bill C-226, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice. I would like to thank MP Elizabeth May for her work and leadership on this important initiative, and former MP Lenore Zann, who initially introduced it in the second session of the Forty-third Parliament at the other place, when the bill was known as Bill C-230. As you will remem…

Hon. Mary Jane McCallum, pursuant to notice of December 13, 2022, moved: That the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples be authorized to examine and report on the misrepresentation of Indigenous ancestry, inadequate self-identification standards and the profound effects that such identity fraud has on further marginalizing Indigenous people, in particular Indigenous women; and That the committee submit its final report no later than December 31, 2023. Honourable senators, I rise tod…

Honourable senators, I am compelled to rise again today to speak to Bill C-32, with specific reference to Division 3 of Part 4, that being the Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management Act. My focus today will be on how the pre-study process commits an injustice to First Nations. I have witnessed that with pre-studies we, as senators, cannot and do not attend to our matters as thoroughly as we should, and, therefore, are unable to apply proper sober second thought. Yet, as stated by o…

Honourable senators, I am going to quote a submission of Grand Chief Garrison Settee, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, Inc., or MKO, to the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance on Bill C-32, with specific reference to Part 4 of Division 3, framework agreement on first nation land management act: The efforts by the MKO First Nations to make and enforce laws and By-Laws to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic uncovered and starkly illuminated that the previous two attempts by Parliament to c…

Honourable senators, I rise today to speak in support of Motion No. 81. I would like to thank Senator Verner for having the courage to speak truth to incidents of sexual violence in the Senate workplace. This is not a race issue. This is not a religious issue. This is an issue of violence against employees, and specifically against women, in the Senate. I would like to acknowledge the survivors for persevering for over 10 years, living trauma-inflicted lives because of inadequacies within our w…

Honourable senators, I rise today to speak to Bill C-31, An Act respecting cost of living relief measures related to dental care and rental housing. I would like to thank Senator Yussuff, Senator Seidman, Senator Omidvar and Senator Simons for their previous speeches, which have increased our awareness and knowledge about dental care in Canada. As many of you will know, I have been invested in the provision of dental care for 48 years of my life. Dental care is near and dear to my heart, and t…