My colleagues, from time to time I permit myself an intervention.
I served with Bob Ogle for a number of years. Every so often he would pop in when he was in Ottawa just to say hello. Perhaps I might tell you two little stories about him to highlight the kind of man he was.
When I became Speaker he wrote me a note asking if I would host a dinner, as mentioned by the hon. minister earlier. I was not too keen on hosting the dinner. I do not know if members know the term being cadged, but it is similar to being conned. He used to con me regularly. He was in my outer office and my secretary came in and said there was a person to see me, a Reverend Bob Ogle. I asked what he wanted. She said “I think he wants you to host a dinner”.
He came in and he looked awfully healthy standing there. “Bob”, I said, “how are you doing?” He said “I am dying”. I said “You have been dying for the past 10 years. What is it you want?” He said “Seeing as it could be my last supper, will you host that dinner?” So I did.
There is another story about him. The hon. member for Winnipeg—Transcona mentioned that he was first and foremost a priest. When he was thinking of leaving we were over in the Confederation Building. I was not part of this conversation. It was reported to me. One member said to him “You know, Bob, you have been so successful here; you have been successful in everything you have been doing. How can you just leave? How can you just walk out like that?” He is reported to have said “I was not called to be successful; I was called to be faithful”.
Bob Ogle was faithful to his principles. In my view he was a good priest. He was a good Canadian. More important I guess than all of those things, he was a good man and we as Canadians can always do with good men. We are going to miss him.
We will now go to tributes for another member who shared with us, Mr. Carlo Rossi, a member of the Liberal Party.