"ll Wednesday, April 19, 1967 when J held the appointment of Private Secretary to Hia Honour the Lieutenaht- Qovcrnojr. The personalities of this soldier, diplomat, and humanitarian, and the dyhajpPngnd vivacious Madame Vanier impressed me tremendously. Their genuine hnhmh .qualities of humility and dignity, coupled with their great moral fibre im- mtitHttsnc. raptnrrii the respect and affection of those around them. On this par- ticumr occasion I, and the other members of the staff, brought our children to meet their Excellencies and we saw at first hand the well-known way they had with children., It was equally obvious bow the children were attracted to them. The Vanieru succeeded in removing the office of Governor - General from its aloof formal¬ ism and made that office representative of Canadian living. At the same time, Mr. Speaker , the nation applauds the appointment of His Excellency the Right Honour¬ able ITaMnil D. Michener as his successor. The new Governor - General has had a distinguished career in many fields of endeavour and we, in Canada , can look forward to the third Canadian to preside over thi: affairs of State at Rideau Hall. Tisould also like to refer briefly to the recent death of Senator Thomas V . Grant. I did not know Dr. Grant intimately, but I did have several very delightful conveswftkffls with him on a number of occasions. However, I do know the member of ha.ilmily, particularly Dr. Byron Grant , who is my next door neighbour, and Dr. IjHfeond Grant was a classmate of mine at University. A daugh¬ ter, BMpt Mrs. Leo Killorn , was a classmate of mine at Prince of Wales College. A preat legand developed around Dr. Grant 's political exploits. I understand he was a formidable political warrior, loved a political battle, and at tha same time, ably presented his constituents. rielieve, Mr. Speaker , I should make reference also to the election of Mrs. B. Earls ) MacDonald as President of the National Liberal Federation of Women. I am of the opinion that this is a distinct honour not only to Mrs. MacDonald , but also to this province as welL (Applause) Her lata husband, the Honourable B. Earle MacDonald was an outstanding member of the Government of tills province for many years. Previous to that, he served as City Councillor and Mayor of the City of Charlottetowh for several terms. Mia. Jean MacDonald was a Liberal fi>mHiliiH In tiM low District of Queens in the last provincial election, and made a valiant effort t^wlTTp seat. At the present time, Mrs. MacDonald represents Prince Edward Istan *roa the Ottawa District Commission, and was also one of the founders of the IODE movement in this province. Since the election in May, 1966, the Junior Member from Third Kings lost the sight of his left eye through an unfortunate accident. I suffered a similar loss of sight in 1963, just two days after being admitted to the Bar of the Province, and therefosev Sir, I can appreciate the gravity of this loss. But I can assure you that, during this period of adjustment you may feel that you have a great cross to bear, but you will find that you will get so used to using one eye that you will almost forget in time that you once had the benefit of the sight of two eyes. I am sure that the members of this House will agree with me, Sir, when I say that we were all very sorry to hear of this unfortunate accident, and we offer Mr. MacLure our personal regrets. (Applause). Preston MacLare : I would like to thank the gentleman kindly. (Applause). Qeaonrable J. Elmer Blaachard : Tou are quite welcome, Sir. Mr. Speaker, this venerable Province House was commenced in the year 1848 *Bd it has been the meeting place of one hundred and twenty-four successive annual teutons-«f the Assembly . It waa in this very Chamber that the fight for Respon¬ sible flafurnment was waged and won in 1861. It was also in this very Chamber that the great issues of the Land Tenant System, Confederation, and all the other issues, large and small, have been debated and the pattern of our laws moulded. ^ ...Wfeh tbis historic tradition flowing through this Chamber , it is with some bewildement and awe that a new member takes his seat for the first time. But It ia wish even more hesitation that he rises to deliver his maiden speech, because he is reminded of the great political orators of the past, and the great parliamen- —218—