Mr. Speaker, it was very powerful when the member for Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke shared that Jack Layton had recruited him. If Jack should have the credit for recruiting him, I will take a little credit for trying to keep him in the House for as long as possible. I mean that really personally. I had to ask the hon. member multiple times to stay on as member of Parliament. I owe him a life debt of gratitude for agreeing.
I asked the member to stay on for many reasons. One is that I trust his counsel very dearly. He is someone who gives me a lot of really great advice. As we can see, he does a lot of really important work in the House.
One of the things about the member for Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke that I want to share is that he shared the pain he endured as a child, the trauma and the violence that he saw and that he himself experienced. What we can see in his life's work and in the way he brings himself to the world is that he did not let that pain extinguish his joy and his deep belief that we can build a better world. Despite the pain he endured, he approaches his life with the passion that better is possible.
Another thing that we might know about the member is that he wants no other child to ever experience that same pain again, to feel like they do not belong. It is a big part of what guides him in the work he does. I see that and I feel that we are all better off because of the passion that he brings, the care that he brings and the personal tragedy that he turns into the powerful motivation for the work he does.
On a personal note, I remember when the member first told me that he was going to message me on my cellphone, not often but whenever he thought it was appropriate. I did not realize that meant he would send me essays on my cellphone. Those essays that he would send every now and then, true to his word, not all the time but when he did, would guide me in the right direction and would encourage me when times were tough.
The member reminded me often that he chose me and endorsed me early on and that he never regretted his choice. There are times when he might have, or times when it was hard to say that he continued to support me, I would say, but I really value his friendship, his commitment, his loyalty and the fact that he reminded me often that he was proud of his choice.
I am proud to call the member a friend. I am proud to call him an ally. I am proud that he chose to be a part of the movement. I am so thankful he said yes to Jack. I think all of us in the chamber have seen the difference that he has made. Kids in this country are safer because of him. Because of his work, there are more little members for Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke who are going to be less scared, less afraid and less feeling like they do not belong.