Mr. Speaker, a year ago, Mauril Bélanger was running his eighth election campaign with his usual energy and enthusiasm. For Mauril, no vote was a sure thing. He believed that he had to win voters' trust.
The Hon. Mauril Bélanger knew how to inspire trust in others. He worked tirelessly for those he represented, be they constituents, Franco-Ontarians or his colleagues. He did not give up.
Unfortunately, the energy he invested in the 2015 election campaign quickly dissipated after he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and the illness began to ravage his body. We all witnessed the terrible toll ALS took on this wonderful man.
However, there was a last battle to be won for Mauril. It was 2016, and he definitely wanted in our anthem “in all of us command”.
Well done, Mauril. Thank you.