Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable Atlantic Canadian businessman. Leon Furlong, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, has been chief executive officer of Atlantic Blue Cross Care for the past 25 years. During this time he has grown this important company from one which had revenues of $12 million to one that now has annual revenues of $1.4 billion. This is thanks to Mr. Furlong's leadership.
Mr. Furlong will retire later this month as president of Atlantic Blue Cross Care. The over 1,800 employees will miss the friendly demeanour and informal style of their boss who has been a steady leader in a industry which has undergone massive change.
Leon Furlong has earned the right to be proud of what he has built in Atlantic Canada. The lives of thousands of Atlantic Canadians are better, thanks to the impressive work of Mr. Furlong.