Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, December 16, 2004, Labrador lost a devoted son. Lawrence O'Brien, our friend and colleague, passed away after a courageous six year battle with cancer.
First elected to the House of Commons in a byelection in March 1996, Lawrence went on to win three more elections. Lawrence was a true Labradorian, born in the small fishing village of L'Anse-au-Loup, on Labrador's south coast.
Lawrence O'Brien loved Labrador and was devoted to its progress and development. An editorial in The Telegram said it best, “What he valued, along with...his family, was Labrador, the Big Land at the centre of his soul”. Clearly, Labrador returned that love. Over 1,200 mourners filled the town's largest church, while another 500 watched a simulcast from Lawrence's own church.
I ask all members in the House to join me in extending our deepest sympathies to Lawrence's beloved wife Alice and their children Michael and Amanda.