Mr. Speaker, it is National Transportation Week. Privileged to be the chair of the Standing Committee on Transport, it is my pleasure to acknowledge the excellence of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who see the transportation industry in our country moving ever forward.
The challenges of change on a global scale are continuing to influence our transportation industry. To deal with these challenges, government and industry must look to the future and harmonize efforts to contribute to competitiveness and economic renewal.
It may please the House to know that last Friday in Thunder Bay the industry recognized excellence in transportation.
If time would permit, I would recognize all those who were honoured with awards of excellence and achievement, but among them I want particularly to mention those who received the awards of valour: Mr. Mervyn Peever of Prince George, B.C., a rail brakeman who risked his life to rescue a three-year old girl from the path of an oncoming freight train, and Mr. André Fréchette, a truck driver from Tracy, Quebec who rescued two people from a burning bus.
In keeping with National Transportation Week, I congratulate all those who keep Canada's transportation system running as it should be, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.