Mr. Speaker, hundreds of friends gathered on Monday in Ottawa's St. Patrick's Basilica to say farewell to a very special lady, Mary Kennedy.
Mary's work in Canadian politics spanned three decades, during which the likes of Hugh Faulkner, Ross Milne, Ralph Ferguson and our colleague from Edmonton North, John Loney, benefited from her dedication, hard work and principled advice.
I am humbled by the fact that Mary also helped me in the recent Ottawa-Vanier byelection. Mary was not an armchair critic. She believed in our political system and acted on that belief. She epitomizes the kind of Canadian every political party depends on and to whom we in the House owe tribute.
A passage from one of Irving Layton's poems describes Mary's spirit very well.
They dance best who dance with desire, Who lifting feet of fire from fire Weave before they lie down A red carpet for the sun.
We will miss you, Mary.