Mr. Speaker, at heart Dennis Smith was a storyteller. He applied this gift as a teacher to impart knowledge and insights to his students about the world around them.
Following a career in education, Dennis made the leap to politics. He was a campaign volunteer and then a constituency assistant to both my predecessor Clifford Lincoln and me.
Dennis worked for the “no” side in the 1995 Quebec referendum and was a leader in Pointe-Claire's successful bid to regain its independent city status in Quebec's municipal demerger referendums in 2004. He then served three terms as a highly regarded Pointe-Claire city councillor.
After retiring from politics, Dennis remained active in community affairs, including, among other things, acting as a sounding board and wise counsel to public office holders like me.
Dennis Smith believed in education and the politics of reason as fundamental to society's progress. To his wife Karen and son Adam, we extend our deepest condolences.