Mr. Speaker, we were saddened yesterday to learn of the untimely death of Mr. Marcel Pépin, ombudsman for the CBC French network.
After an illustrious career at Le Droit , La Presse and Le Soleil , Marcel Pépin gained still more recognition as the first chairman of the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec.
After heading Radio-Canada's radio news services, he went on to become vice-president of French-language radio, and then ombudsman in 1997.
Just recently, Ombudsman Marcel Pépin gained attention for his painstaking report in response to a complaint against Radio-Canada by the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada concerning the events surrounding the Asia-Pacific summit in Vancouver.
Marcel Pépin was passionately interested in politics and an independent soul. He was a staunch and untiring defender of the freedom to inform and the right to be informed, as well as a great believer in the importance of maintaining a relationship of independence and non-interference between journalists and those in power.
Marcel Pépin, you will be greatly missed.