Mr. Speaker, today I want to pay tribute to a great man from my region, someone who made it famous far beyond its borders. Claude Bachand, the Bloc Québécois member of Parliament for Saint‑Jean from 1993 to 2011, has passed away.
Everyone knew Claude, and everyone liked him. In fact, colleagues from all different parties on Parliament Hill would often ask me about him, even 15 years after he left, because they cared about him so deeply. We know that Claude cared about them too. He was a real people person.
Claude was a perfect example of a grassroots MP who had his region's best interests at heart. During his tenure, he organized plenty of meetings and extended many invitations, particularly to ambassadors and consuls, so they could get to know and love Saint-Jean just as much as he did.
On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I offer my deepest condolences to his family, his loved ones and the many friends whose lives he touched.