Mr. Speaker, on July 17, Quebec lost a great unionist, feminist, sovereignist, and progressive with the passing of Réjean Parent.
On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I would like to offer his loved ones my condolences, starting with his wife Pauline and their children Marie-Hélène, Claudia, and Olivier.
As a unionist, Réjean Parent served the cause of education, which led him from the Syndicat de Champlain to the presidency of the Centrale des syndicats du Québec, a position he held from 2003 to 2012. As a feminist, he was an ally to women determined to take their rightful place, some of whom are sitting here in this very chamber today. As a progressive and sovereignist, he joined every battle to bring about a Quebec nation founded on social justice.
Just last June 25, he ended his column by saying, “Now that the time for making choices has come, I choose a French Quebec as my nation...Vive le Québec libre!”
We in the Bloc Québécois thank Réjean Parent from the bottom of our hearts.