Mr. Speaker, under the rules of the House, a member may not be identified by anything other than the name of their riding. You even grace us by referring to members as “honourable”.
However, today we have with us one of the most honourable of all, a member who made all of Quebec his riding, to the point of wanting to make it a country. At first feeling intimidated—and God knows that he was intimidating—I called him Mr. Duceppe. More recently, often eager for his advice, and now—I dare believe it and flatter myself—a friend of Mr. Duceppe, I have taken to calling him Gilles, and that is a privilege.
As I have gone from admirer to appreciative friend, I must also extend my heartfelt thanks to Gilles. He managed to pass on his diligence and passion, as well as a lot of his charisma, to the member for Lac-Saint-Jean. In that respect, he will have to share at least half the credit with Yolande. In sharing their son, they also gave me the chance to make a dear friend.
For Quebec, for the country, and for friendship, thank you, very honourable Gilles.