William Lyon Mackenzie King (Leader of the Official Opposition)
Liberal
Hon. W. L. MACKENZIE KING (leader of the Opposition):
Mr. Speaker,
I rise to join with my right hon. friend in, and to associate this side of the House with, the tribute which he has paid to the memory of our late colleague and the extending of our sympathy to his relatives and friends. Like my right hon. friend, I entered Parliament at the same time as the late Mr. Wallace, and have had the privilege, therefore, of a long personal acquaintance with him. Hon. members who have shared that privilege will, I am sure, feel that the Prime Minister has expressed sentiments which will be entertained generally among the members of this House.
My right hon. friend made reference to the circumstance that the father of the late Mr. Wallace was also a distinguished member of Parliament. That, perhaps, is deserving of more than passing mention. There is a tradition with regard to public service which is stronger, perhaps, in the Old World than it is in this, which unites families in a common devotion to their country. Mr. Wallace, by succeeding his father in the service of his country in Parliament and, jn addition, serving his country in the South African War, where he distinguished himself, maintained in a worthy manner this finest of family traditions. Let us hope that the example he set in this particular will prove an inspiration to the younger men of Canada. Mr. Wallace, though one of the older members of the House in point of service, was one of the youngest in point of years. I am sure we all feel that in his early death the country has lost not only a generous and chivalrous spirit, but one who; had he been spared, would have continued to render useful service to his country.