Mr. Speaker, today is very special and humbling for me because I have been given a great opportunity to serve the House and the people of Canada as the Leader of the Official Opposition on an interim basis. Now I can fire away directly across from the Prime Minister.
I want to thank God for blessing me with so many surprises in my life and my career. I want to thank my husband Lew for his wonderful unconditional love and support. I would like to thank my family who have been there with me all along. I would like to thank my colleagues in the Reform Party and now the Canadian Alliance. I would like to thank the entire House of Commons.
Today I want to thank the man whose inspiring vision has influenced the national Canadian agenda for the last 13 years. His tireless effort and servant leadership has built a political reform movement that for the first time in history stands poised to make the transition from third party to opposition to government. I stand today in his place to say that I will do my best to carry on the work of my friend and colleague, the member for Calgary Southwest.