Time for reflection
Kensington’s Libbe Hubley talks about her 16 years as a senator
Libbe Hubley lists working on post-secondary education issues among the highlights of her 16-year tenure as a senator for P.E.I.
Hubley turned 75 on Friday, the senate’s mandatory retirement age.
“Some of my (favourite) issues would have been postsecondary education and how we’re turning out our students and the debt load they’re carrying and what their possibilities for success are in the future,’’ Hubley said Friday.
“With that kind of burden already, those are the things that just tear at you. There should be a better way.’’
She praised students in P.E.I. and across Canada for being well organized in fighting for things like lower tuition.
“The students are well organized, they have their unions and they come to Ottawa on a regular basis and bring their story with them. It does keep us informed and it does keep us on the subject.’’
She remains concerned about literacy and the recent cutbacks announced by the federal government.
The future of the P.E.I. Literacy Alliance is in peril after Ottawa decided not to restore $150,000 in core funding to the lauded, long-running, not-forprofit organization.
“We should be concerned about that. The cutbacks in literacy in the last while by the federal government were disappointing. I think it means in Prince Edward Island the organization that works so hard on it, and the dedicated people, will not be there for newcomers.
“I think of single moms whose education was interrupted because they started a family and now would like to go back into the workforce. It’s the literacy councils that give them that opportunity.’’
Hubley also lists her involvement with the movement to remove land mines as a highlight.
“I’ve been able to see in the 16 years the many improvements that have come to countries, how they deal with them, how they can organize to have removal systems put in place and the dealing with the victims. I think it’s interesting in Canada has played a huge role in developing the prosthesis and artificial limbs that many of the victims have been able to get and use.’’
Hubley said she’ll be anything but bored in retirement.
She operates a dance studio in Kensington where she lives (she does choreography) and has a large extended family.
“There’s no shortage of things to do. I enjoy oil painting, I love it, and that’s been on the backburner. I do a lot of needlework, and that’s been on the backburner (and) I have family with me here in Kensington. I haven’t seen a void yet. I’m not looking for things to do,’’ she laughed.