Judy White says it was 'overwhelming' to accept her Senate call

Newfoundlander JudyWhite says she had a surreal experienceanswering the phone to find out she'd been appointed to the Canadian Senate.

"When you are sitting home on a Friday dreary, rainy evening in Newfoundland and you pick up the phone and the prime minister is on the other end, it's pretty overwhelming," she said.

White, a Mi'kmaw woman born and raised in Flat Bay in western Newfoundland, is a King's counsel lawyer with a background in human rights issues and Indigenous governance.

White said the expectation of her role in the Senate is to contribute in an independent and non-partisan fashion.

"[It] plays the important role of examining legislation and making sure that bills are considered in a fashion that is reflective of our Canadian society," she explained.

"So I see the Senate as evolving to not just defend regional interests, and obviously as aNewfoundlander and Labradorian,I'll be very keen on defending regional interests, but I think it's also now giving rise to a voice to underrepresented groups like myself Indigenous peoples, visible minorities and women."

White noted that "we need to see our faces in all these places to ensure that colonialism is a thing of the past," and said that a way to effect change is to work from within.

White previously served as an assistant deputy minister of Indigenous affairs in Newfoundland and Labrador and was the first Indigenous woman to chair the province's Human Rights Commission in 2019. She also served as director general of Indigenous Services Canada.

In 2022, she received the Governor General's Award for her commitment to the advancement of gender equality.

White was appointed as an independent senator Thursday alongside Paul Prosper, a Mi'kmaw lawyer from Nova Scotia, by Gov.-Gen. Mary Simon.

In a statement released Thursday,Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed White and Prosper into the senate.

"Paul Prosper and Judy White have dedicated their careers to advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and I know they will be important voices for their communities, their regions, and all Canadians in the Senate," said the statement from the prime minister's office.

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