Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, colleagues.
Chief Ghislain Picard, it's very nice to see you again here in Ottawa. We're practically neighbours, since your association's head offices are in Wendake. I was very fortunate to be born near Wendake 60 years ago and to have spent the last 60 years of my life there. I have a very close relationship with the Wendat and the first nations, and I'm very proud of that. Mr. Picard, welcome to the Parliament of Canada.
Mr. Chair, I'd like to tell you a bit about Wendake, since I have represented its people with honour and dignity for the past 16 years. Wendake is an inspiration to all first nations. It stands on its own two feet, it's proud of its heritage and it's very self-sufficient economically.
More than 400 non-indigenous people work in Wendake. A number of successful businesses that sell their products across Canada are based in Wendake, and many of them work with wood. Some examples are Christian Picard's canoes, the handcrafted snowshoes of Raquettes and Artisanat Gros-Louis—I have a pair myself—Raquettes GV and Prémontex, a business founded by the Siouï family almost 40 years ago. Prémontex has about 50 employees who specialize in building stairs, among other things, and they work with wood.
My point is, it's possible to ensure economic vitality while ensuring the vitality of all earthly creatures.
Mr. Picard, you started off by saying that caribou are very important to first nations. Can you tell us more about that?