Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the people in the riding of PerthâMiddlesex. I am honoured to pay tribute to the city of Stratford.
This month the home of the Stratford Festival competed in an international competition in Madrid called Nations in Bloom. Cities from Italy, England, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United States were invited to compete against one another to achieve the status of the most beautiful city in the world.
The competition is designed to highlight good urban landscaping, to encourage investment in city improvements, to promote international standards and to celebrate excellence in quality of life.
I am proud to inform the House that our own Stratford has been named the most beautiful city in the 10,000 to 50,000 population category.
Stratford was in tough competition. The finalists were Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Botany Bay, Australia, St. Bruno, Quebec and Fairhope, Alabama. Stratford's finish is certainly impressive. What is more impressive is that three of the five finalists were Canadian cities, proving that Canada is the best and most beautiful country in the world.