Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to pay tribute to Mr. James Baskin, a former member of the House, who died on January 8 at the age of 79. He sat in the House from 1957 to 1963.
He was seen as a populist who defended the interests of his community. Although he held office for only seven years, Mr. Baskin had to face the constituents of Renfrew-South on three occasions and served under Progressive Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker in two minority governments.
He was first elected in 1957 and re-elected in 1958 in the Progressive Conservative landslide that sent John Diefenbaker and his team back to power with a strong majority. He was again elected in 1962, only to lose his seat when Lester B. Pearson won the 1963 election.
This businessman turned politician, who came from a small town near Peterborough, was an energetic politician close to the people and attuned to his constituents' needs. Mr. Baskin's second passion in life, after politics, was horses. He was one of those responsible for the construction of the Rideau Carleton Raceway here in Ottawa. That was not all this former Progressive Conservative member did. He also bought the Carling Avenue Bar, which became a watering hole for regional politicians. He ran this hotel until it was torn down in 1986. The site is now occupied by the Corel Centre, the new arena built for the NHL's Ottawa Senators.
After his hotel experience in Ottawa, this enterprising gentleman invested in another hotel, this time in Daytona Beach, Florida. He loved the public as much as he loved horses and managed to benefit both.
On behalf of the Bloc Quebecois I would like to extend my deepest condolences to his family and friends.