Mr. Speaker, last summer, we were all saddened by the death of the Hon. Lucien Lamoureux.
This learned and distinguished Franco-Ontarian was a leader in his community and one of the great Speakers of the House of Commons.
Lucien Lamoureux was first elected to the House of Commons in 1962, as the member for Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry, and he soon made a name for himself.
He was appointed acting speaker of the House in 1963. After having proved his mettle for three years, he was elected Speaker by acclamation in 1966. He was again re-elected Speaker in 1968 and in 1972. His nine year tenure as Speaker was an eventful, at times electrifying period.
Twice he presided over a minority government, one in which there were five parties, and the government and the official opposition were separated by just two seats, adding fuel to the fires of parliamentary debate that, as you know, Mr. Speaker, are heated even in more stable settings.
The issues of the day were divisive, positions were deeply felt and the tone of exchanges was often angry and personal. Through it all Lucien presided with dignity, diplomacy and wisdom.
He was able to maintain order and decorum. In doing so, he earned the respect and trust of members from all parties. He was, in every way, a model for his successors, a gifted Speaker, an expert on our parliamentary procedure and traditions, a far-sighted administrator to whom we owe a professional development program from which all his successors in the Chair have benefited. He was a gracious host and an impressive emissary.
Lucien Lamoureux was a man of great intensity, who sought excellence in everything he did. He drove himself hard and he made many personal sacrifices. More often than not, he achieved his goals.
However, he was also a man of great humility and humanity who disdained any kind of pretence, with the gift of making anyone feel at ease from the most distinguished dignitary to the most junior employees of the House.
After he retired in 1974, he continued to serve Canada well, as ambassador to Portugal and to Belgium.
I have lost a friend and former colleague, and the House of Commons has lost one of its great parliamentarians. Canada has lost the man who embodied the most noble of our traditions of service to the community.
We will all miss him, and I offer my condolences to the members of his family who are here today.