Mr. Speaker, news of the passing of our colleague, the member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, Gord Brown, came as a shock to us all.
On behalf of myself and my Groupe parlementaire québécois colleagues, I extend my condolences to his wife and children, his loved ones and friends, his constituents, and his Conservative colleagues.
In politics, our question period confrontations attract more attention than our collaborative efforts. Still, we are all in the same boat: we are all here because we answered the call to serve the public, and it was while serving the public that Gord left us.
I would like to thank him for giving his all to representing the people of his riding for 14 years.
May his wife and children find the serenity and the courage to make it through this tragic time.
My sincere condolences.