Mr. Speaker, for almost 50 years, Canadians from coast to coast to coast tapped their toes and sang along with Canadian country-folk legend, Stompin' Tom Connors.
Like all Canadians, I was saddened when I heard the news that this cultural icon passed away last night.
The man stood for everything Canadian and he was adamant that he stayed a Canadian. He made it very apparent that he never left the country to advance his career and stayed true to who he was.
Northern Ontario had a special spot in Stompin' Tom's heart. As legend has it, Connors began his musical career when he found himself a nickel short of a beer at the Maple Leaf Hotel in Timmins, Ontario.
Although I am biased, the best song by our country's best loved troubadour, of course, is Sudbury Saturday Night. Who could not love these lyrics?
The girls are out to Bingo and the boys are gettin' stinko,
And we think no more of Inco on a Sudbury Saturday night.
While we have lost Stompin' Tom, we will always have the now famous Sudbury Saturday Night in my hometown of Sudbury.
To his wife, Lena, his children and his grandchildren, we send our prayers and our deepest sympathies.