Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure, on behalf of Bloc Quebecois members, to join with my colleagues in paying tribute to Stanley Knowles.
When I became a member of this House, in 1984, Mr. Knowles had just ended his last term as an active member of Parliament. A few months earlier, the Prime Minister had offered him, with the unanimous consent of the House, to sit at the clerk's table. So, during my first years in this Parliament, I often had the opportunity to consult with him. He became an effective conciliator between the leaders of the various parties, as well as a knowledgeable consultant to each party and an exceptional advisor to the House.
No Bloc Quebecois member currently in this House has had the honour of sitting with him. However, most of us have heard about him since 1993 and seen him sitting at the clerk's table in the past few years. Everyone knows of his tremendous efforts to introduce social measures in this House.
Mr. Knowles' religious background eventually led him to run for office. Sometimes he would say, and I do not know for sure whether he was joking or not, that it was easier to change laws than souls. This is why he went into politics.
He was elected to Parliament and quickly became an expert on procedure. I think his great parliamentary skills were confirmed during the famous pipeline debate, in 1956. In addition to being an expert on procedure and a man who devoted his political career to the poor, Mr. Knowles was also a good organizer and he had the ability to bring people together. This led him to create the New Democratic Party, in 1961.
It was said that Parliament was not his second home, but his main residence. Stanley Knowles was a man of conviction; he was always prepared to fight for the poor and the elderly. He was a man of courage, in spite of his physical frailty. He suffered from multiple sclerosis, but this never stopped him from fighting for the poor.
He was an honest man, respectful of and respected by his political opponents. In a sense, Stanley was the conscience of this Parliament. He will remain a legend in Canadian politics.
To his family, his friends and his party, I express, in my own name and on behalf of my colleagues, our most sincere condolences. I conclude with this beautiful line from the great French author Alexandre Dumas, who said “Those whom we have loved and lost are no longer where they were, but they are still everywhere we are”.