Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday night marked the closing gala of the 23rd annual Toronto International Film Festival. The film festival, which is one of the most highly respected and renowned in the world, saw the presentation of 311 films from 53 countries over 10 days. I am most proud of the fact that 26 Canadian feature films and 42 Canadian shorts were screened at this festival.
I would like to extend my congratulations to Mr. Piers Handling, festival director, who was bestowed the insignia of Chevalier des Arts et Lettres by the French delegation at a ceremony held on September 15. Through the hard work of individuals such as Mr. Handling, the film festival has become a truly impressive showcase of talent to the world.
Canadian film making has always provided a lens through which to gain insight into our unique Canadian culture. The Toronto International Film Festival affords us an outstanding opportunity to present that to the world while at the same time it provides us with a forum to display our outstanding facilities, talented industry workers and extremely knowledgeable audience. I am delighted to rise today—