Mr. Speaker, it is with dismay that we have just learned of the tragic death in Cowansville yesterday evening of the talented theatre and television performer, Jean Besré. He was 64.
For 40 years, Jean Besré was part of our cultural life, playing numerous roles both in theatre and in television. Many will remember Tour de terre , a Radio-Canada broadcast for young people which he hosted on Saturday mornings in the 1960s.
Jean Besré played many engaging characters. There was Joseph Arthur, in the series Le Temps d'une paix , Rémi Duval in Jamais deux sans toi , and his final role, the grandfather in Le monde de Charlotte .
An artist with an exceptionally strong dramatic range, Jean Besré seemed to leap right off the screen and into our living rooms, touching our hearts. He was involved in his community and, with Juliette Huot, sponsored the Little Brothers of the Poor.
The entire artistic community today mourns the passing of one of the greats, Jean Besré, who lived in Brome—Missisquoi.
On behalf of the Canadian government, I pay tribute to his work, and offer my deepest condolences to his friends and family.