Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with Sunday being Father's Day, I thought I would devote my Member's statement today to some very special fathers.
Mr. Speaker, my own father passed away almost 10 years ago. I miss him but I do have the wonderful and vivid memories of him. He was colourful, opinionated and larger than life.
The testament to a good relationship is when you lose someone and you can say that you have no regrets. I was very close to my dad. To me he was human, but he was very savvy and discerning. One of the best legacies that a father or a parent, for that matter, can leave to their children is their unconditional approval. Oh, I got into my share of trouble, like everyone else, but I knew that beneath his gruff British exterior, I met with his approval. When I was little, he was my sense of security. If the teachers didn't like me, if my friends deserted me, if my siblings criticized me, it didn't really matter because my dad loved me and he was always there not far away. I was like his shadow; I wanted to go everywhere he went. I always knew where he was. He was at the family business behind the meat counter in his white butcher's apron. As long as I knew where he was and I could go to him any time, life was good.
That doesn't really explain why I left home at 17 years of age and moved 3,200 miles away, but even that I could do because of my father's constant assurance that I could do anything that I wanted to do.
The love of a mother is important, but the approval of a father has immeasurable value. Many children,
regrettably, grow up without the strong influence of a father in their lives. This creates a challenge for them in life that's difficult to put a cost on. Fathers have a unique role to play in childrearing and family life and it's a part that should be honoured and celebrated as we will this Sunday.
Mr. Speaker, in my 32 years in Hay River, I have been away from by dad but I would like to make mention of a very special Hay River father who recently passed away. Frank Hirst, Sr. passed away on March 23, 2006, at the age of 84. He had a large family of his own with many grandchildren and great-children, but he had the type of kindness that extended to a larger family in the community of Hay River, and, like my dad, he was a war veteran. He knew hard times and losses, but he embraced life with an extraordinary passion. If you've ever been to Hay River in the summer, you could see his beautiful trademark at the corner of Woodland and McBryan. When he wasn't out golfing, he was in his yard. He had to stop and wave or chat with so many passers-by that I'm still not sure how he had such a perfect garden. We will think of him every time we drive by his house, and thankfully his memory will also live on through his numerous family members who live in the North.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.