Mr. Speaker, Serge Bouchard has passed away, leaving us with the memory of his wisdom, his distinctive voice, and his fondness for our heritage, for the first peoples and for what we have in common.
Serge Bouchard was a host, an author and an anthropologist whose talent I could never hope to match. He provided a reassuring and necessary voice advocating for the right to nationhood for all nations, especially the first nations.
He was known for his curiosity and his honesty, and for looking upon Quebec, Quebeckers and indigenous peoples in Quebec, in particular the Innu, with a gaze that was always compassionate, never condescending.
On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I offer my sincerest condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, readers and listeners.
We will miss the man, we will miss the voice, we will miss the unassuming wisdom. I already miss the anthropologist.
The first words in the story of the great beyond are being penned today.