Mr. Speaker, this summer we lost a kind man, or as his partner of 50 years would say, the kindest man. Roger Thibault left us and husband Theo Wouters after a long battle with Parkinson’s.

Roger and Theo were trailblazers. They became the first same-sex couple legally joined by civil union in Quebec, two years before same-sex marriage came into being. Sadly, they faced acute intolerance for over a decade, something that ultimately spurred a march outside their Pointe-Claire home that drew thousands of supporters. This would eventually lead to the creation of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

In May of this year, Roger Thibault and Theo Wouters were named honorary citizens of Montreal in recognition of the decades they spent struggling to promote the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ people.

We offer our deepest condolences to Theo and Roger’s entire family and friends in this time of mourning.