Mr. Speaker, just a few days ago, we lost Christie Blatchford, one of Canada's most prominent writers and journalists.
Born in the town of Rouyn-Noranda in northwestern Quebec, Christie wrote for the Toronto Star, the Toronto Sun, the National Post and the Globe and Mail. She broke down barriers for women in sports reporting. She became an award-winning author and a war and courtroom correspondent.
Christie always wrote with a unique balance of toughness and tenderness. From time to time, I had the privilege of debating the news of the day with Christie on Newstalk 1010 radio. She was relentless in her pursuit of the truth and the facts that would help us understand the issues we face every day. I respected that in her, but I also respected her courage to unabashedly share her point of view, even when it was controversial.
Maybe that is why Newstalk 1010 morning host John Moore recently said, “There are certain figures you turn to, to make sense of the world around you. She was one of those.” I could not agree more.
It will be a lot harder making sense of the world around us without Christie.