Mr. Speaker, this week, our governor general released the names of the recipients of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards.
These awards celebrate Canadian performers who have made an exceptional contribution to the cultural life of Canada. Each year, they are presented to Canadian artists who have been nominated by members of their own performing arts community. They are selected from six fields: theatre; dance; classical music and opera; popular music; film; and broadcasting.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of these performing arts awards, and six great artists have been selected.
I know members will join with me in extending our warm congratulations to Anne-Claire Poirier, Diane Dufresne, Christopher Plummer, Mario Bernardi, Max Ferguson and Evelyn Hart.
They have all brought us both inspiration and enjoyment over the years, and as we celebrate with them we thank them for their outstanding contribution.