Mr. Speaker, here are six things you might not know about our friend and colleague, Gord Brown.
Number one, Gord was so Conservative, he often wore blue shoes in the Commons. True story. They looked pretty sharp, too.
Number two, Gord's oldest son, Chance, was born in November 2000, just as Gord learned that he had lost the election by 55 votes. Gord told me at the time that this had been, all at once, the hardest and the best day of his life.
Number three, Gord never lost again. He won the next five elections by an average of almost 14,000 votes.
Number four, Gord's riding and mine are side by side. In five elections out of six, Gord got a higher percentage of the vote than I did. He would have wanted me to tell the House that.
Number five, Gord met his wife, Claudine, here on the Hill. Their shared delight in the birth of their son Tristan was one of the highlights of the 41st Parliament.
Number six, Gord had many friends and not one enemy that I knew of. He will leave a hole that is hard to fill.