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Family and friends celebrate Jean-Marc Lalonde
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
Much of that support, and patience for all of the time he spent away fromhome on the business of the riding and other work, came from his beloved wife, Gisèle, who passed away a fewmonths before Lalonde’s official retirement as an MPP. «I am dedicating this award (Order of Canada) to my Gisèle,» he said, «because she was always pushing me to do what I needed to do.» He has one final thought about his years in politics: Nothing worthwhile gets done if there is no respect between people. «If you respect people,» Lalonde said, smiling, «you will be respected.»
Themain dining salon at the Boston Pizza Restaurant in Rockland was full almost to the point of standing-room-only last Wednesday night for a feast-and-fete in honour of Jean-Marc Lalonde. More than a hundred well-wishers, both fromamong Lalonde’s family and his many friends, gathered for the evening on Jan. 20 to celebrate the latest upcoming honour for the veteran politician. Next month Jean- Marc Lalonde becomes a member of the Order of Canada. «They had double the people invited,» said Lalonde during a later interview. «I was so honoured to see so many people there.» The former MPP for Glengarry-Prescott- Russell, now sitting as a councillor for Ward 1 in the City of Clarence-Rockland, was nominated to the Order for his many years of public service at both the municipal and provincial levels and his devotion to promot- ing and preserving French language and culture in Ontario. «I never did any of that to receive any honours,» Lalonde said, as he recalled past efforts to promote both French and franco- phone culture in Ontario. That included one time when the Liberals occupied the Opposition side of the legis- lature at Queens Park. Lalonde approached then-leader Dalton McGuinty with a pro- posal. The GPR MPP convinced McGuinty that a Liberal provincial government should create an Ontario government mission in Paris, France. Outside of his regular MPP duties, La- londe has always been available as a spokes- man for Ontario for La Francophonie and one thing had always bothered him. «People from other provinces even, and other countries would always askme, ‘What part of Québec are you from?,» he recalled. «I would tell them I was from Ontario, and then some would ask ‘What part of Québec is Ontario?’» Ontario House in Paris opened in 2007. Besides helping to promote Ontario tourism and investment potential to Europe, the mission also demonstrates the province’s francophone heritage. Looking back over his years in politics, Lalondemused about howmuch support he had from his family all during those years. KIM’S GROOMING Dogs a re my passion!
Jean-Marc Lalonde (centre) was the man of the evening as he met with family, old friends, and well-wishers at an evening tribute to celebrate his upcoming induction into the Order of Canada. – Photo Gregg Chamberlain
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