Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2025-09-17 16:35:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Elizabeth May (Saanich\u2014Gulf Islands, GP)",
        "fr": "Elizabeth May (Saanich\u2014Gulf Islands, PV)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"8873140\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, I thank all the previous speakers. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873141\" data-originallang=\"en\">I knew Gail Shea. Of the people we have paid tribute to today, though I knew them all, it was only with Gail Shea that I served at the same time in an overlapping period. She was always a great person to visit with, to have fun with and to chat with. She was certainly formidable. It has already been noted that she was a trailblazer.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873142\" data-originallang=\"en\">I want to mention, of course, one aspect of her political success. Coming from the Maritimes myself, I know this was the case, or I am pretty sure it was, but Prince Edward Islanders can correct me if I have this wrong. As far as I can tell, in the years that I have known Prince Edward Islanders of different parties in politics, there had never been a time when a Prince Edward Island MP got elected to Parliament, joined a federal cabinet and then survived the next election. There tended to be a bit of a tradition of defeating anybody who ended up in cabinet. I am looking over at some of my friends here, and I cannot say their names out loud, to see if I got that wrong, but I think she was the very first.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873143\" data-originallang=\"en\"> We know she was the first federal minister woman to enter any cabinet from Prince Edward Island in this country. She served at the provincial level, and she served in the cabinet of Stephen Harper. She survived to run again and get re-elected.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873144\" data-originallang=\"en\">She was, as we know, someone of great energy, good humour and a very big heart to welcome all. I think of what it must have been like for her that, in 2021, she lost her dear husband Russell. The two of them had 45 years of marriage. I still think she died very young at 66. They had 45 years of marriage and five children. That is a rich life before we count the number of successes she experienced in politics, the number of times she was elected, and the numbers of times and the different ways in which she served.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873145\" data-originallang=\"en\">One of my favourite memories, and I cannot remember why it was, but of course this is Canada, so we were sitting with each other on an airplane. She was Irish and both of us were Christian. I said that reminded me that I had known a friend, an Irish small child, when I was a small child. This friend had misunderstood, \u201cSurely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life\u201d. I told Gail that this friend had thought all through her childhood that it was actually, \u201cSurely, good Mrs. Murphy shall follow me all the days of my life\u201d. Being that the child was Irish, it seemed to fit, and Gail loved that. There was something about Gail that one could imagine her as good Mrs. Murphy following us all the days of our lives.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873146\" data-originallang=\"en\">She was kind-hearted, hard-working and dedicated, and someone who was an inspiration to know. She showed that life after politics as a grandmother can be a whole lot better than life in politics.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873147\" data-originallang=\"en\">The <a data-HoCid=\"322132\" href=\"/politicians/pierre-poilievre/\" title=\"Pierre Poilievre\">leader of the official opposition</a> mentioned that he was at the funeral. How many people have 29 honorary pallbearers, including a former prime minister and former colleagues? She will be missed.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873148\" data-originallang=\"en\">It is appropriate that today we take the time to honour her memory, thank her for her service, and thank her family and Skinners Pond for sharing her with Canada.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"8873140\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, je remercie tous les intervenants pr\u00e9c\u00e9dents.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873141\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je connaissais Gail Shea. Parmi les personnes \u00e0 qui nous avons rendu hommage aujourd'hui, m\u00eame si je les connaissais toutes, ce n'est qu'avec Gail Shea que j'ai si\u00e9g\u00e9. C'\u00e9tait toujours un bonheur de lui rendre visite pour discuter avec elle et avoir du plaisir. Elle \u00e9tait assur\u00e9ment plus grande que nature. On a d\u00e9j\u00e0 soulign\u00e9 que c'\u00e9tait une pionni\u00e8re.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873142\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je tiens \u00e0 mentionner, bien s\u00fbr, un aspect de son succ\u00e8s politique. \u00c9tant moi-m\u00eame originaire des Maritimes, il y a une chose que je sais \u2014 ou du moins dont je suis \u00e0 peu pr\u00e8s certaine, mais les Prince\u2011\u00c9douardiens me corrigeront si je me trompe. Pour autant que je sache, au cours des ann\u00e9es o\u00f9 j'ai connu des Prince\u2011\u00c9douardiens de diff\u00e9rents partis politiques, il n'\u00e9tait jamais arriv\u00e9 qu'un d\u00e9put\u00e9 de l'\u00cele\u2011du\u2011Prince\u2011\u00c9douard soit \u00e9lu au Parlement, se joigne \u00e0 un Cabinet f\u00e9d\u00e9ral et soit r\u00e9\u00e9lu aux \u00e9lections suivantes. La tradition voulait que les \u00e9lecteurs d\u00e9fassent quiconque faisait partie du Cabinet. Je consulte du regard certains de mes amis ici \u2014 et je ne peux pas dire leur nom \u00e0 voix haute \u2014 pour voir si je me trompe, mais je pense qu'elle a \u00e9t\u00e9 la premi\u00e8re.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873143\" data-originallang=\"en\">Nous savons qu'elle a \u00e9t\u00e9 la premi\u00e8re femme originaire de l'\u00cele\u2011du\u2011Prince\u2011\u00c9douard a occuper les fonctions de ministre f\u00e9d\u00e9rale, tous les gouvernements confondus. Elle a \u00e9t\u00e9 d\u00e9put\u00e9e provinciale et membre du Cabinet de Stephen Harper. Elle s'est pr\u00e9sent\u00e9e \u00e0 nouveau aux \u00e9lections g\u00e9n\u00e9rales et elle a r\u00e9ussi l'exploit d'\u00eatre r\u00e9\u00e9lue.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873144\" data-originallang=\"en\">Comme nous le savons, elle \u00e9tait pleine d'\u00e9nergie, joviale et tr\u00e8s chaleureuse, comme en t\u00e9moigne sa grande hospitalit\u00e9. Je ne peux m'imaginer la p\u00e9riode difficile qu'elle a travers\u00e9 quand Russell, son cher \u00e9poux, est d\u00e9c\u00e9d\u00e9 en 2021. Ils avaient c\u00e9l\u00e9br\u00e9 45 ans de mariage. Je persiste \u00e0 dire que nous quitter \u00e0 66 ans, c'est trop t\u00f4t. De leur longue union sont n\u00e9s cinq enfants. C'est d\u00e9j\u00e0 en soi une vie riche, sans compter ses r\u00e9ussites dans la sph\u00e8re politique, notamment le nombre de fois o\u00f9 elle a \u00e9t\u00e9 \u00e9lue et les nombreuses fonctions qu'elle a occup\u00e9es au fil des ans.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873145\" data-originallang=\"en\">Puisqu'on vit au Canada, on s'est d\u00e9j\u00e0 retrouv\u00e9es assises l'une \u00e0 c\u00f4t\u00e9 de l'autre dans un avion. Elle \u00e9tait irlandaise et nous \u00e9tions toutes les deux chr\u00e9tiennes. Je lui ai dit que, lorsque j'\u00e9tais enfant, j'avais une amie irlandaise. Cette amie avait mal compris le passage \u00ab Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life \u00bb dans la Bible en anglais \u2014 c'est-\u00e0-dire, en fran\u00e7ais, \u00ab Oui, le bonheur et la gr\u00e2ce m'accompagneront tous les jours de ma vie. \u00bb J'ai dit \u00e0 Gail que cette amie avait pens\u00e9 toute son enfance que c'\u00e9tait en fait \u00ab Surely good Mrs. Murphy shall follow me all the days of my life \u00bb, c'est-\u00e0-dire \u00ab Oui, la bonne Mme Murphy m'accompagnera tous les jours de ma vie. \u00bb \u00c9tant donn\u00e9 qu'elle \u00e9tait Irlandaise, cela semblait logique. Gail a ador\u00e9 cette anecdote. Il y avait quelque chose chez Gail qui faisait qu'on pouvait l'imaginer \u00eatre cette bonne Mme Murphy qui nous accompagnerait tous les jours de notre vie.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873146\" data-originallang=\"en\">Elle avait un grand c\u0153ur, elle travaillait fort, elle \u00e9tait d\u00e9vou\u00e9e, et c'\u00e9tait une source d'inspiration. Elle a d\u00e9montr\u00e9 que la vie apr\u00e8s la politique, lorsqu'on est grand-m\u00e8re, peut \u00eatre bien meilleure que la vie politique.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873147\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le <a data-HoCid=\"322132\" href=\"/politicians/pierre-poilievre/\" title=\"Pierre Poilievre\">chef de l'opposition officielle</a> a mentionn\u00e9 qu'il \u00e9tait aux fun\u00e9railles. Quand voit-on 29 personnes porter le cercueil d'un d\u00e9funt, dont un ancien premier ministre et d'anciens coll\u00e8gues? Elle nous manquera.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"8873148\" data-originallang=\"en\">Il convient qu'aujourd'hui nous prenions le temps d'honorer sa m\u00e9moire, de la remercier de son service et de remercier sa famille et la localit\u00e9 de Skinners Pond de l'avoir partag\u00e9e avec le Canada.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2025/9/17/elizabeth-may-3/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/elizabeth-may/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4108/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "13120610",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Oral Questions",
        "fr": "Questions orales"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Hon. Gail Shea",
        "fr": "L'honorable Gail Shea"
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2025/9/17/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2025%2F9%2F17%2F"
    }
}