The Member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel  Mr. Speaker, what can I say after all those kind words? I would like to thank the five speakers from the various political parties who spoke so kindly of me. I have served in the governing party, I have served as an independent, I have served in the official opposition, and I ha

Right Hon. Brian Mulroney  Mr. Speaker, I have fond memories when I talk about this prime minister. I was elected with him as part of his team on September 4, 1984. He was a great Canadian, a great Quebecker and a great prime minister. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I would first like to offer my deepes

Hon. Ed Broadbent  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Bloc Québécois and as the dean of the House, I have the honour to rise to celebrate the memory of Ed Broadbent, the third leader of the New Democratic Party, who passed away at the age of 87. Canada's big NDP family lost more than a former leader on

Danielle Gamelin  Mr. Speaker, allow me to take a few moments to pay tribute to Danielle Gamelin, director general of Fondation Santé Bécancour–Nicolet–Yamaska. From the time she started running that organization eight years ago, she proceeded to restructuring internal operations to improve effic

Hélène Alarie  Mr. Speaker, Hélène Alarie, the Bloc Québécois member for the riding of Louis-Hébert from 1997 to 2000, passed away last week. Without ever raising her voice or losing her cheerful demeanour, Hélène was a calm but forceful presence and a trailblazer. In fact, she was the first w

Raynald Blais  Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, the Gaspé region lost one of its most stalwart advocates. Former member of Parliament Raynald Blais passed away at the age of 69. Elected three times as the member for Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Raynald Blais represented his region in the House o

Election of Speaker  It is my duty to inform the House that a Speaker of the House has been duly elected. It is with great pleasure that I invite the hon. member for the electoral district of Hull—Aylmer to take the chair.

Election of Speaker  I now invite the right hon. Prime Minister and the hon. Leader of the Opposition to escort the Hon. Greg Fergus to the chair. (The Presiding Officer having vacated the chair, the right hon. Prime Minister and the hon. Leader of the Opposition conducted Mr. Greg Fergus from his s

Election of Speaker  All members having voted, I do now instruct the Clerk to proceed with the counting of the ballots, after I have cast my ballot.

Election of Speaker  Before I suspend the sitting, I wish to remind hon. members that, when the counting has been completed, the bells to call the members back to the House will be sounded. The sitting is suspended to the call of the Chair. (The sitting of the House was suspended at 12:00 p.m.)

Election of Speaker  Pursuant to the provisions of the Standing Orders, the House will now proceed to elect a Speaker. After the Clerk has unsealed the ballots, I will suggest to the House a procedure that will accelerate the voting process. We will now prepare to begin to vote according to the pro

Election of Speaker  Before I suspend the sitting for 30 minutes, may I bring to the attention of hon. members that the bells calling the members back to the House will be sounded for not more than five minutes. The sitting is suspended to the call of the Chair for 30 minutes. (The sitting of the H

Election of Speaker  I will now call upon Peter Schiefke, the member for Vaudreuil—Soulanges, to speak.

Election of Speaker  I will now call upon the hon. member for Brossard—Saint‑Lambert.

Election of Speaker  I will now call upon Ms. Elizabeth May, the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands. She is not here with us today, but we can watch her on the screen.