Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to recognize Sam Herman for a lifetime of service to the people of Lloydminster and area and to our country, Canada, which he loved so much.
I first met Sam through politics in 1988. He was a driving force in building the Reform Party of Canada through immense contributions of hard work, money and, most important, well considered policy ideas.
He led the way in building the constituency association for the Vegreville and Lloydminster areas and helped me get elected as a candidate and then as the first Reform member of Parliament for Vegreville.
As campaign manager, Sam took the best part of a year to get me elected. I found out later that he never really thought he could accomplish that task. When I asked him why he contributed so much time and effort, he said, “Because it was the right thing to do”. That was my good friend Sam.
He deservedly was named Reformer of the Year in Ottawa in 1994. Sam's contributions to his community did not stop with politics. He was involved in Rotary, the Rotary Young Entrepreneur Program, his church and so much more.
To Sam, his wife Ardis, his children, and his God were his greatest loves and the source of so much pride.