Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel—Alnôbak.
I am not sure if it is a good sign for the future of our country that a sovereignist has broken the record of as great a Canadian as Sir Wilfrid Laurier, but such is reality. Although the former prime minister sat for 15,056 days in Parliament, the member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel—Alnôbak sat for 15,059 days as of today. He has been elected consecutively in the same riding since 1984.
He outlasted prime ministers Mulroney, Campbell, Chrétien, Martin, Harper and Trudeau. However, his longevity as Speaker of the House of Commons lasted barely seven days. Still, let us hope that he will be offered a nice portrait here in this building, as parliamentary tradition dictates for all former speakers, whether illustrious or not, but especially given today's record, which will certainly remain unparalleled in our lifetime.
The member's political career is remarkable. There was even a time, in the first quarter of his career, when he was a member of a federalist party. This might have been easier to do at the start of his career, when he sat with the patriot Louis-Joseph Papineau. I took a shot.
While we may have a hard time forgiving him for his decision to establish the Bloc Québécois in 1991, no one on this side of the House can fault his intelligence, especially since he was leaving the Conservative Party. I will continue.
The member has always been quick witted and his career, which is not yet over, has been marked not only by his wisdom, but also by his independent spirit. He is a sovereignist after all. He is a deeply compassionate person, as evidenced by his dedication to progressive causes; for example, he opposed attempts to restrict services for women who were exercising their right to abortion and attempts to bring back the death penalty. It also goes without saying that his staunch defence, in the House and across Canada, of bilingualism, and French's place in the country makes him, in my eyes, not only a great Quebecker, but yes, I dare say, a great Canadian.
I recently read an article about him where he said that he planned to stay in politics. That is good news. The article also shared some surprising details about his perseverance. The article quoted him as saying: “I think it is the best job in the world. I'm hooked. It's a bit like a drug. For some people it's alcohol or weed, for others it's sports. But for me, it's...politics.”
It is clear that the member is passionate about his work. Another illuminating point in this article is, again, this man's humanity when he talks about his loneliness. I hope he gets to have that rare coffee with a good friend and, if not, there are at least 300 MPs gathered here who would jump at the chance to sit down for coffee with him.
Although he has been more discreet in recent years, since I have known him—or since most of us have known him, judging by the quality of the debates—his discretion is once again undoubtedly a profound mark of wisdom. It seems he has been following his own advice, which he shared with us in his speech as the dean of the House when the parliamentary session began. That advice was to keep our mouths shut unless we wanted to end up like a stuffed fish mounted on a wall. God knows we have seen plenty of stuffed fish in the House in recent years.
Another piece of wise advice that I have followed closely is the advice he gives to newly elected officials who are tempted to run for office for recognition. He said to buy a dog instead. I can tell the member that I am delighted with my yellow Labrador.
I will conclude by quoting one of his former leaders, the illustrious Lucien Bouchard, who shared these words with me.
When my friend [the member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel—Alnôbak] became the all-time dean of the House of Commons of Canada, it was not mere chance, and it was not bound to happen given enough time.
His unwavering loyalty to his constituents deserves full credit for that.
Everyone saw him as an elected member who is keenly aware of the respect owed to parliamentary institutions and to his colleagues of every political persuasion.
Congratulations to [the member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel—Alnôbak]!
Long live the member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel—Alnôbak.