Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to inform the House that Ville de Waterloo, Quebec and the city of Waterloo, Ontario have agreed to formally twin their respective communities.
The aim of the twinning is to promote social, cultural, economic, historic and sports exchanges in order to strengthen existing ties of friendship and provide a framework for mutually beneficial exchanges of information and experiences.
Representatives of the two Waterloos first met in Ottawa during the Spicer commission hearings. I had the honour to be a participant as a municipal councillor.
Ville de Waterloo will be hosted by my community this weekend during Oktoberfest, the largest Bavarian festival outside of Munich. On Monday, Thanksgiving weekend, the mayors of the two Waterloos will be part of the Oktoberfest parade that will be televised nationally.
To mayors, Bernard Provencher and Brian Turnbull, along with their respective councils and communities, we offer our congratulations for their initiatives in promoting goodwill and understanding among Canadians.
My colleague from Kitchener and I would like to invite all members of the House and Canadians to come to Kitchener-Waterloo for Oktoberfest.