Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Bloc Quebecois and on my own behalf, I also want to pay tribute to Robert. You all remember that in 1981 only one Conservative member was elected in Quebec. However, in 1984, 57 Conservative members arrived here to represent Quebec, 56 of them being new faces. That turnaround was the result of the efforts made by Robert, who taught some skills at the sessions for Conservative candidates.
As the leader of the Conservative Party mentioned earlier, all Quebec Conservative or former Conservative members, including those who were defeated during the last election and those who did not seek a new mandate, remember Robert as an exceptional facilitator and motivator at these sessions for Conservative candidates. Robert was extremely friendly and he taught us many points which proved useful during the election campaign. In fact, several Quebec MPs elected in 1984 are very indebted to him for his good advice. Even though he had to conduct his own election campaign, Robert was generous enough to come and spend two days with us at the sessions for candidates, held in a hotel which is now a Travel Lodge, where he welcomed us. The whole session was organized by him.
He was an extremely generous person strongly devoted to the party line, but with some very progressive ideas. For example, he was always the one, in the Conservative Party who would trigger the debates on the environment. I had the opportunity to sit with him on various commissions and committees. I was always impressed by the avant-gardism of his ideas, as well as by the pragmatism which characterized every one of his statements. To be sure, he was a philosopher but he was always very practical.
We had a lot in common. Like me he was a former teacher and in business. Consequently we would often have discussions together. Robert also talked a lot about agriculture since he represented a part urban and part rural riding. Again, since our ridings were more or less similar, we had long discussions together. I have very fond memories of Robert. He was very close to his constituents and always ready to give to others. He was courteous, friendly, competent, meticulous, hard working, and showed respect for his colleagues. Robert also loved sports and we had to discuss racquetball with him every time we talked to him.
I thank him for his great contribution to democracy in this country. To his family, his wife and four children, I offer my most sincere condolences. I leave them with a quote from French author Alexandre Dumas who said: "Those whom we loved are no longer where they were, but they are always with us, wherever we are".