Watch the video of this statement here

Madam Speaker, this place is always changing. People come and go, dramas flare up and flame out, and stars are born and then fallen with the speed of light.

Over 12 years, five elections, seven offices, and three prime ministers, the one constant for me through it all has been my correspondence director of over a decade, Lucille Pakalnis. In that role, she has helped me respond to over 400,000 letters. It will shock the House to learn that not all of them had nice things to say about me.

Yet, despite the occasional tough customer, Lucille has literally never been in a bad mood, forever the happy warrior, never an unkind word about a colleague, and always there for the team. Because of Lucille, when I knocked on thousands of doors in the last election, not a single person told me that we had not responded to his or her letter.

As she moves on to the next phase of her career and her life, I ask all members to join with me in thanking her for over a decade of service to Parliament and all Canadians.