Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my appreciation to the staff of the Library of Parliament for continued support to my office. The library's annual report indicated that in 1996-97 division personnel handled a total of 153,000 requests for information and provided 96,000 direct answers to authorized clients.
In the same time period the information service responded to an additional 57,000 information requests from parliamentarians and the general public alike. Those numbers are above and beyond the nearly 500,000 visitors that were welcomed to centre block by parliamentary guides.
Although some days I am certain that it seemed like my office was responsible for the aforementioned calls, members of the library staff were always prepared to cheerfully and competently tackle any projects we threw their way. Without the service provided by the various sections of the library, the effectiveness of my office would be greatly reduced.
I would ask that my colleagues join with me in thanking the Library of Parliament for its excellent work.