Mr. Speaker, it is not possible to express a tribute in the House on the sad passing of George Hees without bringing words of condolence and respect from my constituents in Northumberland.
To this day Northumberland thinks of George Hees with great pride for the 23 years he so ably served the constituents of the riding of Northumberland. The tenacity and hard work of George Hees and his inherent sense of politics earned him the support of his Northumberland constituents for a period of 23 years.
As we have heard, throughout his military and political careers George Hees served Canada and his constituents beyond the call of duty. He was a devoted parliamentarian and a person who believed in the great potential of Canada and Canadians.
As Mr. Hees' successor in the riding of Northumberland, I can attest to the fact that he was well loved throughout the riding. He was respected and admired on a non-partisan basis. He was a true gentleman. His legacy in the region is alive and well. Around Northumberland there still abound everyone's favourite George Hees stories.
One of mine remains his comment to me the night before my first election. He said he felt I had run a very good campaign. I do not know if at that time he imagined I would win that election campaign by a resounding 27 votes, but I can say that my success on that campaign of 1988 in large part was due to the fact that as a campaigner one did not forget to speak of George Hees with great respect and admiration.
In Northumberland we are very proud of George Hees and the way he represented us. My heartfelt condolences and sympathy go out to his family and all the many friends of George Hees.