Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to talk about François Gervais, a staff member at Oka Secondary School, who recently opted for phased retirement after an accomplished career.
For nearly 40 years, Mr. Gervais touched the lives of hundreds of young people. Some of them still talk to me today about his initiatives, such as setting up a fair trade store, creating a student environment committee, establishing a humanitarian action committee in the wake of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and building bridges with the Kanesatake school to forge ties with the entire community.
I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Gervais in May 2023, when he accompanied a group of students here to Parliament Hill to draw our attention to the issue of femicide. I remember him as a fine man with a profound desire to raise young people's awareness of the challenges of tomorrow.
On behalf of all my constituents, I want to thank Mr. Gervais for his unshakable faith in our wonderful young people and in our future. Above all, I wish him a happy retirement.