Mr. Speaker, the flag over the Peace Tower flies at half mast today in honour of a great Canadian.
John Bassett passed away Monday after a lengthy illness. He left an indelible mark on the Canadian landscape. John Bassett served as major in the Black Watch Regiment during World War II. He was a media pioneer, a sports enthusiast, a businessman and a Tory.
When I was 11 years old John Bassett, who was a friend of the family, gave me my first job bundling inserts for his first newspaper, the daily Sherbrooke Record .
A graduate of Bishop's University in Lennoxville, Quebec, my hometown, John Bassett ran for office for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada on two occasions.
He was once a proud owner of interests in both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Argonauts. John was a member of the privy council, a companion of the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario.
On the behalf of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada I convey my condolences to his wife Isabelle and their family.