Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Bloc Quebecois, I wish to pay tribute to Judge Michael Sheehan, who yesterday received the Maurice Champagne rights and freedoms award from the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal.
Devastated by the death of his son, this courageous and very wise father decided to become involved by being there to listen to the distress of others and making a remarkable contribution to suicide prevention efforts.
When he speaks, Judge Sheehan reminds us that human life is what we hold most dear and that in fact people contemplating suicide do not want to die but just end their suffering.
This suffering is on the increase. Every day in Quebec there are 250 suicide attempts, five of which are fatal. In 1999, 316 women and over 1,200 men lost their life in this tragic manner.
Judge Sheehan's contribution to the prevention of suicide in Quebec is, of course, invaluable but his message is inspiring as well and helps to demystify this sad reality.