Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour for me to stand today on behalf of the Prime Minister and on behalf of the Liberal caucus to pay tribute to a great Canadian parliamentarian, the hon. member for Calgary Southwest.
I want to note right away that I will miss him on a very personal level as I feel a particular neighbourly bond with him. For the last eight or so years our names have sat next to each other in the parliamentary rolls, Manley and Manning, if you will excuse me, Mr. Speaker.
All of the mail of his that I kept receiving was very interesting to read. The fashion tips were particularly helpful, I might add. This came too late however, to help me in preparing to impersonate him, as I did in our party's mock leadership debates in preparation for the 1993 election campaign. I am not quite sure which of us faired better in that exchange.
Seriously, the hon. member will be missed in the House and in Canadian political life. Deeply rooted in the wisdom and principles of another great Canadian politician, his father, the hon. member has carried forward a reputation for integrity, for decency and for constantly challenging the status quo.
His commitment and his contribution to Canada, to parliamentary democracy and to the national agenda are substantial. His recent role on the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology has been outstanding and a model of bipartisan public service.
We know that this commitment will still be there in his new life beyond the House of Commons.
During his time as leader of the opposition, from June 1997 to March 2000, nothing held him back. He forced our government to remain vigilant, continuously urging us on regarding national issues of great significance such as debt reduction, taxes and the fight against crime.
He gave Canadians a few new things to think about. As a founder of the Reform Party in the late 1980s, which was the same time I was making my start in a political career, he brought a new dimension and a new perspective to the Canadian political system, something that is fundamentally healthy for our democracy and for our country.
Preston, if you will permit me, Mr. Speaker, we wish you and Sandra the very best as you take your leave from a rich and very commendable public life.
I close with a brief word of advice. In this morning's newspaper I noticed the photo of the two of you at last night's hockey game proudly sporting your Ottawa Senators jerseys. I, of course, was delighted to see you have finally come around. You have been in the nation's capital a few years, but the next time you go to the Saddledome, you may want to be a little careful, perhaps even try to fit in a little shopping trip before you go there.
Mr. Speaker, I think all members of the House join in wishing our colleague the very best in his future endeavours.