Mr. Speaker, Canada has lost a passionate and tireless advocate for our most vital resource, fresh water.

Dr. David Schindler was not only a world-renowned limnologist who, in 1991, won the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize, he was responsible for fundamental shifts in North American environmental policy through his pioneering field work, most famously at the Experimental Lakes Area, which he co-founded.

Dr. Schindler was in many ways a public intellectual. He made ecology accessible in the manner of Rachel Carson. His research sounded the alarm on acid rain and led to the banning of high-phospohrous laundry detergent. Dr. Schindler’s work on the impacts of the oil sands on the Athabasca River watershed inspired a study by the House of Commons environment committee on the issue and led to changes in the way water quality is monitored in the watershed.

I ask members to join me in offering our deepest condolences to Dr. Schindler’s wife Suzanne, daughters Eva and Rachel, and son Daniel.