Mr. Speaker, residents of Cornwall and Akwesasne and the counties of Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, Prescott and Russell will always remember the ice storm of 1998.
The government House leader and I join in congratulating the municipal leaders and their employees, firefighters, police, hydro crews, local radio stations and the numerous volunteers who gave unselfishly of themselves to serve others in need.
We salute the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces for their invaluable assistance. They were proud to serve and we are proud of them.
We could relate a number of stories of individual heroism arising from this experience, but the bottom line is that Canadians gave their all and were concerned for the welfare of others.
I agree with the hon. House leader and quote with sincerity, “Never before has the spirit of community and mutual responsibility been so deeply felt. Thank you all.”