Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the work of one of my constituents who participated in a national rural conference held in Belleville last month.
Jan Sideris travelled from my riding of Bruce—Grey to meet with some 200 other Canadians for a common goal. They spent three days discussing the challenges of rural life with others who want a sustainable future for rural Canada. Jan tells me the weekend was most productive and the results encouraging.
Participants overcame regional differences and came from tiny east coast villages, remote northern towns and small farming communities. They worked together in a way to strengthen and enhance rural life. They discussed building partnerships and finding workable solutions to chronic unemployment problems.
My thanks goes to Jan and those other Canadians who attended this conference. Their work and dedication are a true contribution to rural Canada.