Mr. Speaker, I will say a few short words and add to what has already been said in terms of paying tribute to Alf Gleave.
I remember him very well as a friend and, to a certain extent, as a mentor. He was president of the National Farmers Union and worked in the House as a member of parliament. His interest was certainly the farm and he adopted the motto that people are important.
As a young individual in the farm movement in the early seventies, there were several people who inspired me to become involved in public life. Alf was one of those people to me.
I had many sessions with Alf over the years, but after coming here in 1993 as a member on the government side and as a member of the standing committee on agriculture, it was not unusual at all to see Alf in his older years sitting in the agricultural committee room listening to the hearings. He was interested in what all sides were saying. He gave some us on the government side a lot of criticism at times for some of the things we were doing, but his belief showed through in terms of how important it was that programs and benefits be applied to the farm sector.
I join with all others here today who have recognized Alf Gleave for his life's work. I also extend my condolences to his family.