Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the late Senator Gerald Ottenheimer, a proud Newfoundlander and a great Canadian.
In 1966 a Cambridge educated young lawyer named Gerald Ottenheimer was one of three PCs elected to the Newfoundland House of Assembly during the Joey Smallwood electoral sweep. He went on to become party leader. He later served with distinction in the cabinets of Premiers Frank Moores and Brian Peckford. He served as Speaker of the Newfoundland House of Assembly. He was elected Chairman of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and was a member of the Francophone Parliamentary Association.
Appointed to the Senate of Canada in January of 1988, Gerry went on to become Deputy Speaker of the Senate. Unfortunately he succumbed to cancer in January of this year.
My colleagues, the hon. members for Burin—St. George's and St. John's West, and I who served with him in cabinet salute the late Gerry Ottenheimer, scholar, lawyer, linguistic and, above all, a parliamentarian who will be sadly missed.