Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to pay tribute to Mr. Alkenbrack.
Douglas Alkenbrack came to the House of Commons to represent the riding of Lennox—Prince Edward in 1962 after many years of public service in municipal government. His parliamentary career was spent in the pursuit of fair play and justice. His constituents returned him to the House in every election until his retirement in 1979. This fact attests to the worth of his work on their behalf.
He once said “Each of us is an ombudsman for the people he represents”. The records of the House bear witness to his vigour in his quest for fair treatment for his constituents.
A true blue Tory, Mr. Alkenbrack also loved his country passionately. He gave a message to all of us in 1970 that still holds true today: “Every Canadian, as had the Fathers of Confederation, has great spiritual resources available to him. Our patriotism emanates from and has its source not only in ourselves and in our relationships with our fellow citizens, but also in the majesty of nature and the physical grandeur and beauty of our great dominion from the misty Grand Banks of Newfoundland to the Rocky Mountains, Vancouver and Queen Charlotte Islands”.
To Mrs. Alkenbrack, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, I extend the sympathy of the members of the Progressive Conservative caucus.