Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to comment on the Hon. Stanley Knowles, whom I have known since long before I became a member of the House.
In my teaching days I brought 35 students to visit Parliament Hill and as we stood outside the doors of the Chamber, looking at all the seats inside, there was only one person sitting in the House of Commons, Stanley Knowles.
The constable explained to me that Mr. Knowles quite often did his office work in his seat in the Chamber because at that time individual members did not have an office of their own. Members had to share offices and staff and it was not a very peaceful exercise.
Stanley Knowles has always championed the cause of war veterans, senior citizens and medicare. I remember the teasing he got about his own pension on the day he became a senior citizen.
The Right Hon. Pierre Elliott Trudeau appointed him to a place of honour at the table in the Chamber.
It is fitting that this man be recognized by the academic community and remembered as a champion of social justice in Canada.