Mr. Speaker, this week is National 4-H Week. The historical roots of the Canadian 4-H program are solidly grounded in rural Canada.
The program originated for the purposes of improving agriculture, increasing and bettering production, and enriching rural life. Its beginnings were inspired by energetic and idealistic agricultural officials, dedicated school teachers, and others committed to ensuring that young rural Canadians learned important skills to succeed on and off the farm.
Today's programs continue to serve primarily rural communities but they do not have to live on a farm to join. Open to all youths, male and female between the ages of 8 and 21, 4-H focuses on developing well rounded responsible and independent citizens.
Members participate in technical skills development projects as well as other fun activities. There are 2,600 4-H clubs across Canada with over 35,000 members completing 53,000 projects yearly.
I congratulate 4-H members and their leaders throughout Canada for all the hard work they do and recognize the importance of their organization.