Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to welcome the mayor of Mississauga, Hazel McCallion, who is visiting Ottawa.
While the mayor's party affiliation has always been a mystery, her politics are clear. Born in the Gaspé, she has served the public for 27 years, 16 years as mayor of the ninth largest city in Canada.
Mississauga is debt free with almost half a billion dollars in reserves. All public buildings, including the new city hall, are mortgage free. A $60 million Living Arts Centre is currently under construction, thanks to the mayor's personal fundraising
efforts and to the recognition of the Minister responsible for Infrastructure that such projects are a worthwhile use of infrastructure money.
Again, I wish to welcome Mayor McCallion to our fair city. I would also like to issue a warning to batten down the hatches. She usually stirs up a pile of trouble wherever she goes.