Mr. Speaker, I am not pleased to make this speech today. When it comes down to it, after the member for Honoré-Mercier takes his leave, the House will be diminished in a way. We will certainly miss him, because he established a truly respectful way to deal with everyone.

After a political career that has lasted for a number of decades, the member is leaving the House without a single enemy. This is a remarkable achievement. He has treated every member in the House with respect. We are all fans of his to varying degrees because we understand that, fundamentally, he has respect for Parliament and for each and every one of us.

He also has fans right across the country, including a constituent of mine, who insists to this day that the member for Honoré-Mercier and the most interesting man in the world in the Dos Equis commercials are the same person. My constituent continues to insist on that.

He made remarkable changes. For my part, when I think of the member for Honoré-Mercier, I think of March 13, 2020. At that time, he showed his leadership and his respect for the institution, but also his respect for all Canadians. That is the day we closed Parliament during the pandemic. We made the decision together. We all left the House of Commons together. The House leader of the Bloc Québécois was there, as was I and the member for Honoré‑Mercier, who was the government House leader at the time. We spoke to the media.

Let us recall the context. Parliament was not sitting and everything we did had to be done by unanimous consent. This was an emergency, and things had to be done for people across the country. To me, that was when the member for Honoré‑Mercier, as the government House leader, truly changed things, because we had to work together. Bills had to be passed unanimously. At times we had to work until midnight, and each time, his leadership and his respect ensured that we could make all these important decisions to make it possible for people to have something to eat, for businesses to stay open, for people to keep their homes. All these things were, in large part, tied to our colleague's leadership, because he respected the institution and everyone who was involved. He truly knows how to bring people together. He knows how to listen to people and find a way to see things through. He demonstrated that many times both during and after the pandemic.

My colleague from Louis‑Saint‑Laurent talked about the member for Honoré-Mercier's greatest work as minister of Canadian heritage. That is another example of him showing a great deal of respect for those who criticized him, including myself. I do, however, disagree with my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent. For me, his most striking work was what he did as government House leader. He also then showed the same ability to bring people together in the other departments he oversaw. He loves his riding, there is no doubt about that. He loves Quebec, which he has demonstrated throughout his career. He loves Canadians, which he has shown time and again in all the work he has undertaken.

We wish our friend nothing but the best. I wish him the best of luck in his next adventure. He will be sorely missed.

Peter Julian

$568,566.00