PM Trudeau appoints Cornwall, Ontario, mayor to Senate

CBC News · Posted: Jun 22, 2021

Bernadette Clement, the mayor of Cornwall, Ont., will be trading her spot at Cornwall city hall for a seat in Parliament’s upper chamber.

Clement was appointed to Canada’s Senate on Tuesday by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to a news release, in addition to the former head of the Canadian Labour Congress, Hassan Yussuff, and James Quinn, the current CEO for the port authority in Saint John, N.B.

Elected as mayor in 2018, Clement was the first female to become mayor of Cornwall, and is believed to be the first Black female mayor in Ontario. Prior to being elected mayor she served three terms as a city councillor.

The prime minister’s news release describes Clement as someone “who has devoted much of her life to the betterment of the city.”

Cornwall, feds worked together during pandemic

Over the course of the pandemic Clement has worked with the federal government on a number of issues.

In February 2020, Cornwall was selected as a location for passengers to quarantine after returning home from an outbreak on a cruise ship in Japan.

Clement also recently met with Public Safety Minister Bill Blair to discuss a plan for reopening the border with the U.S.

Clement will sit as an independent senator representing Ontario, the news release added.

Statement from Bernadette Clement

Dear Residents of Cornwall,

Please get comfortable and join me for this long, but important message.

On the inaugural evening of December 3, 2018, we embarked together on a great journey. I spoke then of a magnificent story which is unfinished. I believe that over these nearly thousand days of this term, we have seen some of the brightest pages of our story.

We have worked together over these years to bring vitality, hope and a renewed confidence in ourselves as a community. We have worked with our important and cherished neighbours and allies. Because the continued success of the City of Cornwall depends on strong relationships and also on our ability and willingness to work together effectively and respectfully as a region.

Our story is one rooted in time with the first presence of the Mohawk people of Akwesasne, with whom we have renewed our work to build a truly respectful relationship. Few areas of Canada hold in their hands such an extraordinary opportunity to truly engage in a meaningful economic and social partnership. As Mayor, I have pursued measures collaboratively that fully embraced this unique moment. Working closely with the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, we have made the imaginative development of our jointly acquired Waterfront Port Lands a high priority leading to its becoming a living reality.

We have acknowledged our many challenges and have worked towards solutions. Our budget and solid long-term strategic and financial plans have set us on a balanced, yet progressive path. And throughout all of this, we have managed to steer our way through a global pandemic, together as a community.

As you well know, I am deeply proud of my heritage, proud of being the daughter of a Franco-Manitoban maman and of a Trinidadian Pop. And I have been most honoured to be the first female Mayor of Cornwall. It has been most heartening to me to have had little girls tell me that they would run for Mayor one day. That is a beautiful thing.

Thirty years ago I took the bus to Cornwall to interview for a job at the Clinique juridique Roy McMurtry Legal Clinic. 30 years later, I still love my work as a legal aid lawyer. It has always kept me grounded and connected to people and to the real struggles that many face.

In 2006, Domtar closed. Many families were affected and we experienced collective loss and worry about our future as a community. I ran for Council that year to help with the work of re-defining ourselves.

Being the Mayor of Cornwall was a job that spoke to my heart in ways that I could not have imagined. Each month brought new challenges and experiences. And in February of last year, our community hosted cruise ship passengers and we then started to learn about the virus that would lead to a global pandemic. After much sadness, sickness, and loss, but also hope, resilience, and effort, we are emerging. We all have scars to show from this and are changed forever. But the strength we tapped into together, I will hold close to my heart forever.

Today I wanted to tell you that I have given my notice of resignation as Mayor of Cornwall. At the request of the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, I have become a member of the Parliament of Canada as a Senator.

This is an incredible honour, which feels both thrilling and wistful. It’s a tremendous opportunity, which I cannot wait to start. However, I am very sad to resign from my role as the Mayor of Cornwall. It’s quite remarkable that you can feel such opposing emotions intensely and at the same time. I had hoped to remain Mayor for the remainder of my term, or maybe more, if you were willing to have me. But we don’t control timing, only the readiness and openness to new opportunities. So while this magnificent story is unfinished, I have been asked to take on a different role which will continue to involve me in helping to add further chapters to our shared history.

I have become a Senator proud of what I’ve accomplished so far, proud of where I come from, and especially proud of our community. I carry all your voices into the Senate of Canada, and will continue to work on your behalf, as a proud citizen and resident of this community and country, which I love dearly.

Source: CBC News