Mr. Speaker, as the president of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association, I rise to pay tribute to our former colleague and long-time member of Parliament, Francine Lalonde, who passed away from cancer on January 17.
Madame Lalonde was the association's vice-president from June 2006 to March 2008 and stayed involved as a member of the executive committee thereafter.
I travelled to Europe with Madame Lalonde on numerous occasions. She was always very well informed on the issues affecting relations between Canada and the European Union. I can say without hesitation that she served both Quebec and Canada well.
While she and I did not always agree on matters of Canadian politics, she was an able and engaged colleague when it came to our dealings with our elected counterparts in Europe.
On behalf of the members of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association, I wish to express my condolences to Madame Lalonde's family and friends.