Mr. Speaker, today is a very sad day for the Senate, the House of Commons, Manitoba, the community of St. Boniface, the Franco-Manitoban community, and above all, the family of our former colleague, Ron Duhamel.
Ron had a distinguished career as an educator, as a senior civil servant in the province of Manitoba, as the MP for Saint Boniface and as veterans affairs minister up until recently when he was appointed to the Senate. He was known for his competence and for his dedication to Manitoba. Locally he was known for his annual school supplies drive, which reflected no doubt his earlier career in education and his concern for students.
On behalf of the New Democratic Party, I wish to offer our sincere condolences to his wife Carolyn and his daughters Kathy, Nathalie and Karine.