Madam Chair, it is an honour to stand in the House and speak, as always, but of course on this special occasion I am particularly grateful to my dear friend and colleague from Battle River—Crowfoot, who just told a story about the legendary Stan Darling, former member of Parliament for Parry Sound—Muskoka, which of course is the magnificent part of this country that I am honoured to represent here today.

Stan Darling represents, in many ways, the very beginning of my understanding of politics and recognition of political life, as does Prime Minister Mulroney. My earliest recollection of a prime minister was of Prime Minister Mulroney when he was first elected. I remember as an elementary school student this grand campaign to raise awareness about acid rain and its deleterious effects on the lakes and forests of Canada. Stan Darling, who was the member of Parliament for Parry Sound—Muskoka at the time, was a champion for arresting the causes and effects of acid rain and addressing the issue, which was not just a Canadian issue but a binational issue. He was a champion to the point that he was in the ear of Prime Minister Mulroney enough that he finally convinced him that this was an issue that had to be addressed.

As a small kid in elementary school, I wrote a letter to the prime minister of the country about acid rain, and I remember with great awe receiving a response from him, assuring me that he thought it was an important issue and that he was working to deal with it. I felt incredibly special as a kid in grade 4 or 5, whatever it was, getting a letter from the Prime Minister of Canada.

Fast-forward to my first year in university, when Prime Minister Mulroney resigned, after I had watched his career as my first prime minister. I remember taking that day off school, watching every moment of it on television and writing him another letter to thank him for his leadership, particularly on acid rain, because that was the issue that stood out in my mind most particularly in terms of what I thought was his inspired leadership.

We have heard so many speakers here tonight talk about the remarkable statesmanship and courage of this man to expend political capital to do what he felt and knew was right for Canada, not for tomorrow and not for political purposes but what was right for Canada for generations to come. I was once again incredibly honoured to receive a letter back, thanking me for my letter and for everything, saying that he did in fact believe that he governed for what was right for Canada for generations to come, not for tomorrow or just for political expediency.

In many ways, then, this was part of the inspiration for me as a little kid growing up in Huntsville, knowing Prime Minister Mulroney's story of growing up as the son of an electrician in a small town in Quebec, just as I was the son of an electrician growing up in a small town in Ontario, and not in a wealthy family. I grew up in a family of Jehovah's Witnesses that was not remotely interested in politics. We were not supposed to vote. We were not supposed to be interested in politics, yet I secretly always was. I admired this man who I thought was a great leader, so in many ways Brian Mulroney was my inspiration to enter politics, and, at the ripe old age of 21, I was convinced to run for public office in my community of Huntsville. By the skin of my teeth I was elected, which in many ways was quite surprising and of course changed the trajectory of my life quite dramatically.

I spent almost a whole lifetime, really, in municipal politics. I was a councillor for many years. I ultimately became the deputy mayor of Huntsville. I was the mayor of Huntsville for one term and was re-elected. Only one year after my re-election, I was elected to Parliament. After being elected to Parliament, I thought about something I had never really thought of again. I thought about the early days when I was watching the then prime minister in this place and how he would debate.

I regret not having my reading glasses with me, because I had a moment when I thought I would put my reading glasses on the way Brian Mulroney did. I admired him, watching him do that in the House. He would put his glasses on and read a quote. It was the most magnificent thing to watch. I could not believe it. Of course, I forgot my glasses.

As I found myself elected to this place, I realized that I knew so many people who had worked for Prime Minister Mulroney. He was the only political figure in my lifetime whom I ever really wanted to meet, whom I was excited to meet. I thought I should really meet this man one day. I knew Bill Fox, who had been his communications director. He and I had worked together a little bit at a firm in Toronto. I knew Senator Segal, who was his chief of staff for a short time and ran for the leadership of our party, a great friend. Of course my dear friend Scott Munnoch served as his personal assistant and advance man for many years. He continued to be not just in service to the former prime minister but also a close, personal family friend. He was kind of like a big brother to the Mulroney kids.

I thought I said to Scott, “For goodness sake, I know all you guys and I have worked for him all these years. Why have I never met him?” Mercifully, a few years ago, Scott arranged for me to finally meet Prime Minister Mulroney and his lovely wife, Mila. It was a bit of a magical moment for me, going from those early days as an elementary school kid and thinking the prime minister responded to me, to being a member of the chamber and meeting the man who was my hero.

I should mention that when we stood for a picture, he asked me what riding I represented. I said, “Well, I represent Stan Darling country, Prime Minister.” He loved that. He told me many great stories. He said, “You know, Stan was a great man. He's the reason we have an acid rain treaty.” Everybody credits Prime Minister Mulroney with the magnificent negotiation skills, and former president Reagan for the relationship they had in forging an almost inconceivable agreement on acid rain at the time. In his humility, he never stopped praising Stan Darling or remembering that Stan was the man. We call him “Stan the man” still in Parry Sound—Muskoka. Stan never stopped fighting to save the lakes of the Canadian Shield, to save the forests of the Canadian Shield and to save maple syrup.

He told me these great stories, and then we stood for a picture. It was very entertaining because I thought of how I had been in public life for 30 years and that now we were standing for a picture. He told me to do up my jacket. “Oh yes, sir, Prime Minister; I'll do up my jacket.” I did up my jacket and got myself prepared. I had the opportunity to tell Mrs. Mulroney, just the other day, that story. She remembered it. I still cannot believe she did. I said to her that it was just so lovely, that interaction the first time I met him and he said, “Do up your jacket.” She said, “Of course he did, because that picture is forever, Scott”. In that moment, I realized that something Prime Minister Mulroney always understood is that what we do in here and what we do in our lives has an effect, an impact, forever.

As I watched his beautiful family stand in the hall of honour greeting every Canadian who came in and wanted to pay their respects at the coffin of one of our great prime ministers, I thought about that, that this is forever. This will always be remembered. What we do here will always be remembered. Nation building is forever. That is why I do believe that the words of King Solomon most appropriately apply to a man whom I admired and who reached out to me, encouraged me, motivated me and inspired me: “A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to...the house of feasting: for that is [in the end] the end of all men; and the living will lay [this to their] heart.”

May Brian Mulroney's example be one for all of us as we build a nation and as we do things here that will last forever.

Scott Aitchison

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