Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great Canadian labour leader, Lynn Williams, who passed away on May 4, just a few months short of his 90th birthday.
Lynn started his union career in the late 1940s as a member of United Steelworkers Local 2900 at the John Inglis plant. His links with the industrial and manufacturing core of the city of Toronto would later result in a street being named after him.
Lynn also became the first Canadian to lead an international labour union when he was elected president of the steelworkers' union in 1983, and in that role he skilfully led the steelworkers until his retirement in 1994.
He was a man devoted to his family, which he believed was the reason for everything that he did on behalf of other working families.
Lynn was known to many as a labour intellectual who considered all the consequences of his actions and those of the union he led. He understood politics, the nature of capitalism, and the need for social justice at every level.
This made Lynn a much sought-after media commentator long after his so-called retirement.
His wisdom, his strength, and his love for Canada led to his being invested as an Officer in the Order of Canada in 2005.
Yes, Lynn Williams was a labour giant and a great Canadian. He was well loved and he will be missed.