Mr. Speaker, I totally agree with my friend, the member for New Westminster—Burnaby, that this is not a happy speech. It is a rather sad one.
I worked with our colleague from Honoré‑Mercier when prime minister Stephen Harper was leading a minority government and it was possible to get things done. That was when the member for Honoré‑Mercier and I became colleagues and friends.
This is a sad moment, but it is good that we are still MPs together, because someone among us has everyone's respect.
I thank my colleague, the member for Louis‑Saint‑Laurent. I could not agree with him more. However, to my colleague from La Prairie, I think it might not be the Bloc Québécois for our friend. Maybe it is the Green Party now, because the way forward will be green, I hope.
To my dear Liberal colleague, there is not much more I can say.
Our colleague has clearly had a tough life.
I think of his childhood in Argentina in a time of conflict.
His father was tortured.
I cannot imagine how hard it was in a time like that, with the junta killing people. It was a hard childhood to have. As my colleagues have said, he came here without a word of English or French, as a little guy speaking only Spanish. Now here we are.
Everyone here in the House of Commons is paying tribute to our colleague and friend. As the member for New Westminster—Burnaby said, everyone here likes him. That is extraordinary. What a track record for an MP, a politician in our country. The only thing I can say is that I will miss him.
I hope that we will work together in the future, perhaps when I am prime minister. I always dream big.
I want to say thanks to our friend Pablo. It was no small thing to get a private member's bill through that protected Kyoto, for as long as that bill lasted. I am really grateful to my colleague and friend, and I think we are all going to miss him.