Mr. Speaker, New Democrats across the country are mourning the death of Carmel Bélanger.
For more than a quarter century, Carmel was the centre of NDP activity, first as an assistant to former leader Ed Broadbent and later as the heart and soul of the NDP's national office in Ottawa. I worked with her for five of those years.
As administrative secretary, Carmel ensured that the whirlwind of NDP activity, council meetings, national conventions at all levels brought effective results.
Carmel served four federal leaders of our party. She was cheerful even in the most intense and stressful situations, always joyful and always calm. Carmel brought her wit and humour into play to defuse tension. She was family.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, her husband Shawn and their son Kyle, who were by her side on Wednesday when she passed away at the young age of 49.
New Democrats will continue her hard work for social democracy and social justice in Canada. She will be sorely missed.