Mr. Speaker, I thank the leader of the Green Party of Canada.
For me, it was a tangible opportunity to create a better future for my daughter and for the generations to come. The government of the day did everything in its power to defeat my bill. Thanks to our work with the Bloc Québécois and the NDP, however, we managed to do the almost impossible: We got a bill passed. This is proof that not only can we change things politically, but that everyone wins when we work together, because that is possible to do.
In politics, we often get the opportunity to work with exceptional people. There are some worthy men and women on both sides of the House. I have developed a deep respect for and genuine friendships with some of them. I am thinking in particular of the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent, who is a true gentleman. I am thinking of my friend from La Prairie, who is also the Bloc Québécois House leader, not to mention my friend, the member for New Westminster—Burnaby, the NDP House leader. I would like to remind him that it was thanks to his party, thanks to the orange wave, that I lost my job and wound up on vacation in 2011. I thank him very much for the time to rest. I say that in all sincerity, because I learned more from that defeat than I ever did from my six electoral wins.
There are so many lessons to learn from losing an election. I was pigheaded. I lost on May 2, so on May 3, I hit the reset button. On May 3, I started over, because I wanted to reflect on the reasons for our defeat. I wanted to rebuild the party. I wanted to reconnect with the people of Honoré‑Mercier, who had said “thanks but no thanks” this time and taken a pass on me.
Around that time, I became friends with a passionate young politician with great hair, who went on to become the leader of the party. I want to thank the Prime Minister for his trust, his advice, and above all, his friendship. Together, we won. We won the party's leadership race, and we won three elections, meaning three consecutive victories in Quebec in 2015, 2019 and 2021. That is not too shabby. The Speaker was part of that too. Together, we have made progress for Quebec and Canada. I want to say to the Prime Minister that it was an honour to serve alongside him. I thank my friend.
I would like to take a moment to thank the people who choose public service but work behind the scenes. The first such person is Geneviève Boisvert, the manager of my constituency office. Now she is mad at me because she hates being thanked publicly, but I have to do that because she has a special place in my career, and I owe her so much.
To everyone who has ever worked with me, whether in the riding, in the whip's office or the House leader's office, whether at Canadian Heritage, Transport or the lieutenant's office, I just want to say thank you very much, from the bottom of my heart, truly and sincerely.
Their advice made my job as an MP and a minister much easier. Their friendship has made it much more enjoyable and quite often really, really fun, I have to admit. I love those guys and I thank them so much.
To the public servants, the House of Commons staff from the kitchen to the pages, I thank them for choosing to serve our most prestigious democratic institution.
Then there are those who mean everything to us. No words can express how much I owe to Roxane and Béatrice. Words are not enough. Roxane and Béatrice know how much I love them and how grateful I am for their support, advice and encouragement. None of this would have been possible without them. Today, I want everyone to know what amazing women they are. I admire them so much. I love them.
In all the years I have been here, I have always fought for Quebec. Every time I studied a file or had to make a decision, I asked myself whether it was good for Quebec. I truly believe that defending and promoting Quebec's interests is an ongoing job. As the Quebec lieutenant, I was able to speak for the regions and state their challenges and priorities. I worked with the caucus chair on issues such as building the new Champlain Bridge, including Davie in the shipbuilding strategy and deploying high-speed Internet throughout the province.
I had opportunities to participate in negotiations with the Government of Quebec on issues like health, housing, and child care spaces, which really improved people's living conditions. Both as the Quebec lieutenant and as minister of Canadian heritage, I fiercely defended the French language and Quebec culture by standing up to the web giants, because protecting and promoting our culture also means ensuring the vitality of our identity as a nation.
I also made it my duty to stand up for the local press and a strong, autonomous and independent free press, which is one of the cornerstones of our democracy. I led these fights alongside the member for Drummond and the NDP House leader. I thank them both from the bottom of my heart.
Like my father before me, I sincerely believe that we can tackle every issue and challenge that people face. For that to happen, however, people have to be able to trust their leaders and institutions. That kind of trust must be earned. We all have to earn it collectively.
As my colleagues may know, on September 19, I crossed the Alexandra Bridge to launch my bid for the leadership for the Liberal Party of Quebec. That is where it all started for me, back when I was young and thought I knew everything. That is where I will continue to fight for Quebec. Over the past few years, I have spent a lot of time talking to people from all over the place. They have made it clear that, despite the current government's fine promises, nothing is better now than it was before. In fact, it is quite the contrary.
I think that, as Quebeckers, we deserve better than a government whose go-to solution is the politics of division. That is why I decided to join this race, together with my family, and it was with my family by my side that I crossed the bridge. In crossing the bridge, I am leaving behind my friends and colleagues in caucus and in cabinet. I am leaving behind my pals from Quebec, including the Speaker. These are people I really adore. In crossing the bridge, I am leaving this seat that I longed for and dreamed about so much, that I worked so hard to win and that has made me so proud.
In crossing the bridge, I am leaving behind a big part of my career and my life. I would say that I did my best. It was far from perfect, but I gave it my all. I did it with conviction. I did it with pride, to the best of my ability, with a deep love for the House, for democracy, for Quebec and for Canada.
My first remarks in the House were addressed to my constituents in Honoré-Mercier, and so my final remarks will be, as well.
Without my constituents, without their friendship, their generosity and their trust, none of this would have been possible. The last 20 years have been an honour for me. It has been an honour to serve them. It has been the honour of my life, and I can never thank them enough.
[Member spoke in Spanish]