Mr. Speaker, on September 24, as part of its 40th anniversary festivities, the Université du Québec à Montréal honoured Paul Gérin-Lajoie by naming its education science building for him.
With this tribute, UQAM acknowledged the important contribution to education made by Mr. Gérin-Lajoie, who was the first head of the education department in Quebec, which was created in 1964 in the wake of the Parent Commission, which he had set up.
A lawyer whose commitment was recognized by UNESCO in 2004, Mr. Gérin-Lajoie has dedicated his life to making education a universal right, because, as he himself says, “education is the fundamental right on which all other human rights are based and what makes it possible to exercise all other rights”. Moreover, helping provide basic education for children is the main mission of the foundation that bears his name.
My Bloc Québécois colleagues join me in paying tribute to Mr. Gérin-Lajoie for his outstanding contribution to the education system and for fighting to—