Mr. Speaker, it is with great emotion that I pay tribute to Fernand Ouellette, recipient of the Prix Gilles-Corbeil for 2002. With its recognition of his work, the Fondation Emile-Nelligan is underscoring the key role played by this poet, novelist and essayist in casting light on the Quebecois soul.
Co-founder of the journal Liberté , this determined independantiste and passionate lover of art and music has been the recipient of numerous awards. Some will surely recall his refusal of the 1970 Governor General's Award as a protest against the War Measures Act. Despite having abandoned the formal side of religion like so many of his fellow Quebeckers, Fernand Ouellette has not abandoned a life-long quest for spirituality. His last work, Le danger du divin , is a record of his personal spiritual quest.
I thank the author of Lucie ou un midi en novembre and Je serai l'amour for his carefully honed language, so rich and yet so restrained, the sure mark of literary greatness.