Mr. Speaker, February 19 marked the end of one of the most prestigious and challenging dog sled races in the world, the Yukon Quest, in which Quebecker André Nadeau, from Sainte-Mélanie, in my riding of Joliette, competed.
This is a 1,647-kilometre race from Whitehorse, in the Yukon, to Fairbanks, in Alaska. The mushers and their dog teams must fight their way through horrifying blizzards in Arctic cold and climb over peaks up to 4,000 metres high.
André Nadeau was a first-time contender in this race. He came in second, with a time of 11 days, 15 hours and 13 minutes, roughly four hours behind the first-place winner. Thirty-eight 14-dog teams started the race. André Nadeau led the race until Mr. Lee, a veteran musher, passed him a few kilometres before the finish line.
I want to acknowledge this feat of strength and courage and extend my heartiest congratulations to André Nadeau and his helpers, Louise and Michel, and to his 14 dogs, of course.