Mr. Speaker, I met my mother for the very first time on September 3, 1948. I cannot remember anything about that meeting, but somehow I knew she was nearby.
As I grew up I relied on her to clean my clothes, to cook my food and when things were not going so well I knew again she would always be nearby.
I remember the first bike she got me in Lakeside, Nova Scotia, even when we could not afford it. I remember her supporting me when I struggled through school. I remember her, again, always being there when I needed the wisdom and kind understanding of a mother.
One of my greatest Reform supporters in Chester Basin, Nova Scotia is, yes, you guessed it, my mother.
Today she is the queen of grandmothers to my children. She is the best friend of my wife. But to me she remains the kind mother I have always had.
On Sunday I wish my mother a very special Mother's Day and to all mothers who have done so much for their children and ask for nothing in return.