Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my friend and colleague, the hon. member for Niagara Centre.
Due to the redistribution of electoral boundaries, the hon. member and I were recently faced with the unenviable task of competing for the Liberal nomination in the riding of Welland.
The recent months have not been easy for either of us but I want to point out that in a media full of stories about colleagues fiercely contesting colleagues in all political parties, the nomination process and meeting in Niagara were examples of how things should work. I compliment the hon. member for his decorum and gentlemanly conduct at all times.
I have worked with the member since his election in November 2000 and I have worked with many of the hon. member's staff since I first came to Parliament in 1993, as they worked for our former speaker and Niagara Centre member, Gib Parent.
On behalf of my family, my staff and all riding constituents, I wish the hon. member for Niagara Centre the very best, to he, his staff, his daughter Alex, his mother Maria and his partner Martine. It has not only been my pleasure to call him a colleague, but my honour.