Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: I, too, I am saddened to learn of the passing of the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney earlier today.

I rarely encountered Brian Mulroney, except on a few occasions at the Ritz, where there was a popular bar. He was affable man with an easy smile.

We are not of the same generation of lawyers; by the time I started out as a young lawyer, his reputation was already established. He earned that reputation in labour law, where, as Judge Gold pointed out, he demonstrated the qualities that served him well his whole life: the ability to listen, to mediate and to find a way forward. Thanks to those qualities, he was known across Quebec as a top mediator in the field of labour law and especially at Ogilvy Renault, where he excelled at handling the most difficult collective agreements. Those qualities and his outstanding managerial abilities even earned him the top job at Iron Ore.

The funny thing is that he never lost these qualities. He made them part of his political life. He was always someone ready to listen and find a way forward. As a Quebecer, I want to honour him for the considerable effort he invested in the Meech Lake Accord, which may have been a missed opportunity for us as a country, but something that he invested in heavily and that should have succeeded. Fortunately, some parts of it are being implemented through Supreme Court rulings. I see this as an enduring legacy, and one contribution he made that I will never forget.

I should also add that Quebec supported him when he participated in negotiating the free trade agreement with the United States, and I voted for him myself. I voted for this gentleman on more than one occasion, because I thought he deserved the support of Quebecers for his efforts to ensure that Quebecers felt at home in this country and to combat certain ideas that sometimes went too far when it came to the relationship between French Canadians and English Canadians.

It would be impossible for me to talk about this man without recognizing all the efforts he made to fight apartheid, especially when we look at the series on Nelson Mandela, and to challenge Margaret Thatcher, who opposed his ideas. At certain conferences, he led Commonwealth countries to take a firm stand and declare a boycott that later proved successful. It is too early for me to say any more. This news has caught me off guard. Mr. Mulroney deserves a tribute worthy of his actions, and I hope the country will give it to him.

For me, tonight is a very sad moment. I’m going to repeat a passage that stood out for me from the speech that our colleague Senator Saint-Germain gave earlier.

Tonight, Irish eyes are not smiling anymore.

May he rest in peace.