Book of condolences set up for Jim Prentice at Alberta Legislature

Albertans took the time to stop by the legislature on the weekend to sign book of condolences for the family of former premier Jim Prentice 

The book sits on a desk in the rotunda, near the fountain countless politicians who have served Alberta over the years pass by day in, day out.

It's the same fountain Jim Prentice would walk by as Alberta's 16th premier.

If you flip through the pages, you will find message after message of condolences dedicated to that very man.

Randy Boissonnault, the Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, said he felt it was important to pay his respects to the former premier, who died in a plane crash last Thursday. 

"My message essentially was the country and the province has lost a great citizen who served both with honour and compassion," he said. 

"I think one of the few things people didn't know about Mr. Prentice was his sense of humour and that he always studied his files, always prepared.

My message essentially was the country and the province has lost a great citizen who served both with honour and compassion.- Randy Boissonnault, Edmonton Centre MP 

"Mr. Prentice served the province and the country with honour and compassion. He and I belonged to different parties, but at the end of the day, we're all here to advocate for the needs of our constituents."

On Thursday, Prentice was aboard a twin-engine Cessna Citation that disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff from Kelowna, en route to the Springbank Airport, just outside Calgary.

The Transportation Safety Board said the plane's wreckage was found in Lake Country, B.C., just north of Kelowna. The plane crashed just eight minutes after take off and the TSB described the crash as "unsurvivable."

Prentice was 60 years old. 

Boissonnault recalled Prentice as a "deeply thoughtful" man who was committed to his wife and kids. He said the former federal Minister of Environment, Industry, and Indian Affairs was, in some respects, "ahead of his time."

"This is a tragic loss for our country and our province."

Boissonnault isn't alone in offering condolences to Prentice. Tributes have been pouring in from all across the political spectrum. 

That was something that really stuck with me, the fact that he knew how to get stuff done but he knew at the end of the day we're all human.- Randy Boissonnault

Boissonnault recalled speaking to the former premier when he was mulling over his run for Parliament — Boissonnault said Prentice encouraged him. 

"He said, 'Just spend the right amount of time here and then get back to the doors.' He was already ready to have a quick joke. When you saw Jim Prentice, he was either really focused on his file or he was smiling and laughing. 

"That was something that really stuck with me, the fact that he knew how to get stuff done, but he knew at the end of the day, we're all human, and when we come to the chamber like here, at the legislature, that we're there for deeply personal reasons advocating for the people we care about.

"That is Jim Prentice's lasting legacy."