Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by commending the member for Portage—Lisgar for his touching tribute. We were touched by his testimony. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois and all of the people we represent, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to my colleague and to the family and friends of Robert Sopuck. I encourage them to take care of themselves.

I was elected in 2019, so I did not have the privilege of knowing Mr. Sopuck. However, based on what I have heard this morning, I think I would have really liked to meet him. It seems as though he was a true model of commitment. He was described as a right-wing environmentalist, which is something that we do not see very often. I think that we need more people like him, compassionate people with a sense of duty. According to what the member for Portage—Lisgar said, Mr. Sopuck stood up for the little guy. I like that and I support it. The role of an MP is to stand up for their constituents, to proudly and faithfully represent them and to go to bat for them. I support that too.

That is a challenge that the 338 members of the House of Commons have to deal with on a daily basis: Knowing when to go to bat for their constituents publicly and when to do so privately. A lot of informal discussions take place here, and I think we get a lot of results that way. I am absolutely convinced that I would have loved this man.

Take what I just said as an example. I am a Bloc member from Quebec talking about a Conservative member from Manitoba, and I have just pointed out a number of things we have in common. We must always remember that, most of the time, we have a lot more in common than we might think. I urge us to work together to make progress on the issues and improve society, for the common good. I am sure my colleague from Portage—Lisgar will agree with me.

On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, all our elected officials and all those we represent, I once again offer my most sincere condolences.

Yves Perron

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