Mr. Speaker, the Hon. Charles James Mayer passed away on April 24 in Winnipeg. First elected to the House of Commons in 1979, he served as minister of state for grains and oilseeds, minister of western economic diversification and minister of agriculture. He was inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2005.
Charlie was also a member of my husband's family. When I first met him in 2017, I was preparing to moderate the Conservative leadership debate. When I asked for his advice, he said that I could use his cattle prod if I needed to, that it would keep them in line.
Charlie was kind, thoughtful and humble to a fault. He was respected for his fierce intelligence, his humanity, compassion and decency. He was a great Canadian but remained until the end, like myself, a proud westerner.
He will be missed by his wife, Anita, his children, Holly, Cheryl and Judy, and their families.