Mr. Speaker, it was my privilege to represent Canada at the 55th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy this June. It was chosen as the number one Canadian news event of the century. I am proud to share my birthday with Pierre Elliott Trudeau. He was chosen as the number one Canadian newsmaker of the century.
These people moved Canada and the world. Few of us will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each and every one of us must work hard to change a small portion of events. In the totality of all those acts will be written the history of this generation. Each time a person stands for an ideal and acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against an injustice, he or she sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.
It is my fervent hope, as MP for the great riding of Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, that we pass the torch to the next generation, knowing in our hearts and in our minds that we have not failed our families, our friends or our country.
The success story called Canada will continue to illuminate the universe into the next millennium.