Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Romanado, thank you for being here with us today. Before the meeting started, we had a chance to chat and we were saying that it is a special thing for a parliamentarian to appear before a committee to speak about his or her private member's bill. I have to say that you have been doing a great job up until now. Congratulations.
I think that all my colleagues here, as well as all Quebeckers and Canadians, admire firefighters greatly. We all have a story to tell about firefighters. I won't go into detail, but I think that all little boys and girls grow up dreaming about becoming police officers or firefighters. These are jobs that children idealize. That wasn't my case, however. My admiration for firefighters came much later. At the time, I was working as a seaman on a cruise ship. At one point, I was told that I would have to take firefighting training the following Saturday. The training was very short and was nothing like the fulsome training of professional firefighters, but we still had to take it. That day, I understood what firefighting meant. I had a tiny glimpse of what it means to have to go fight a fire. Obviously, you understand that we weren't really sent into a house where there were people to be saved. That day, I understood the impact of the job, or rather of the calling, because it's more of a calling than a job. I have much admiration for the profession since that day.
Afterwards, I spent a good chunk of my career and life working in the media. Every time there was an event where we had to raise funds for a cause, the firefighters were there lending a helping hand. Every time there was an emergency or need within the community, firefighters were always the first ones to show up.
For me, it is inconceivable to not be full of admiration and gratitude towards these men and women that are always there to protect us and always answer the call as soon as we need them.
I am happy that you brought up the issue of volunteer firefighters, because they constitute the vast majority of firefighters in Quebec. It is good that you spoke about their concerns, especially the fact that they often bring their equipment back home in their car. That is an important point that I wanted to talk about.
However, to start on a lighter note, can you please tell me if you knew that your bill would garner so much attention and support from the get‑go? Were you expecting this when you introduced Bill C‑224 in January?