Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Saskatchewan artist Anne Prefontaine.
In 1985 Anne was commissioned by the French Cultural Association to make a painting for the town of Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan. This painting was ultimately presented to the Right Hon. Jeanne Sauvé, former Governor General of Canada, on September 17, 1986. Mr. Speaker, you will recall that Madam Sauvé was a francophone who spent part of her childhood in Prud'homme, Saskatchewan, a small village in my riding of Saskatoon-Humboldt.
Mrs. Prefontaine's painting is called "My Canadian Bouquet", en français "Mon pays en fleurs". The painting depicts a beautiful bouquet of flowers. On closer inspection, we see it is made up of the floral emblems of each of the provinces and territories, including the prairie lily, the floral emblem of Saskatchewan. Each flower is beautiful on its own, but as part of this floral arrangement the beauty of each is further enhanced. Like Canada, the final result is truly more than a mere sum of its parts.
Thank you, Anne, for stepping forward again with your message of love and hope for a united Canada.