Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that the New Democratic caucus congratulates one of our own, the member for Acadie-Bathurst, who will become, this evening, a member of the Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Pléiade, Ordre de la Francophonie et du Dialogue des cultures.
Our dear Acadian colleague has won great respect from our caucus due to his leadership on issues related to defending the Francophonie in Canada. I can even say that his example is what led many of my hon. colleagues to decide to learn French.
His involvement in the Standing Committee on Official Languages and his commitment to the Francophonie make him a worthy recipient of this honour.
For these reasons, we want to tell him how proud the NDP caucus is of his work. We hope that he will continue to devote as much energy and passion to issues important to the Francophonie and social justice.
The Francophonie and the New Democratic Party are both lucky to have a “Jean Batailleur” like you.