Mr. Speaker, as the Liberal member of Parliament for Beauce, I rise today on behalf of the government to extend to the families of the 43 victims of the bus crash in Les Éboulements our deepest condolences on their loss.
What explanation or comfort can we offer? What can we say to help these families understand and accept such a tragedy? If I had the answer to any one of these questions, I would have rushed to share it with my constituents and friends of Saint-Bernard de Beauce.
Neither I nor anyone else has the power to explain that which cannot be explained or to prevent pain and suffering. To all the children, grandchildren, spouses, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, uncles, aunts, cousins, friends and neighbours left bereaved by this tragic accident, we offer our friendship. We will stand by them and listen to them.
It is unfortunate that it takes a tragedy like this one to have us realize how strong the ties are between the hearts of all Canadians and how sensitive we all are to the pain of our fellow citizens.
I very closely monitored reports of the accident in Les Éboulements and I spoke to several members of the victims' families. They all mentioned the extraordinary generosity and solidarity they witnessed during this ordeal. Many messages of sympathy were sent from every part of Canada, throughout last week.
All our kind words and our words of encouragement will not bring back those who died last week. However, I persist in believing that the friendship, solidarity and respect displayed so far will, in time, ease the pain and sadness of the people of Saint-Bernard.
Some will say that things will never be the same again in Saint-Bernard de Beauce and that the tragic death of the 42 residents and the serious injuries to five others will finally kill the spirit of this magnificent town. I cannot agree with them because, after visiting the place, after meeting and comforting members of the families of the victims, I have to tell you that the essence of the Beauce spirit was not lost in the accident.
This harmonious mixture of pride, solidarity, generosity and ingenuity mobilized the entire community within a few hours of the accident. It is this strength of spirit that gives us the courage to carry on and that ensures that the people of Saint-Bernard de Beauce will dig in even harder and will together survive the worst highway tragedy in Canada.
I reiterate in closing our most sincere sympathy for the terrible drama they fell victim to and our wishes for a speedy recovery for those still in hospital. I can assure them that both I and my government will always be there to help them lighten ever so slightly the burden of sorrow they carry.