Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all Reform members, including myself, I wish to welcome back the hon. member for Lac-Saint-Jean.
We parliamentarians are all professional politicians. Although, in the course of our public lives, we often express heartfelt and varied opinions on matters of public policy, we remain human beings united by our shared love of life and health and by our vulnerability to disease and tragedy.
When the hon. member became ill, all members of this House shared a feeling of solidarity because of their common concern for their colleague.
Those of us who believe that the ultimate secret of life and death rests in the hands of the Supreme Being prayed for his recovery.
When we learned that the hon. member was out of danger at last, we shared feelings of relief and gratitude.
It is a tribute to the hon. member's courage and determination that all members of the House put their differences aside and showed their solidarity through their concern for his recovery and well-being.
I therefore would like to express these feelings today by welcoming the hon. member back to the House and wishing him excellent health in the future.