Mr. Speaker, at this time on a Friday afternoon, with the benches filled by a raging throng of MPs, we are addressing a very important bill.
This discussion of the Canadian horse brings back memories. In 1976, I was a newly elected member of the Quebec National Assembly. Of my nine years there, eight of them were spent as the chair of the agricultural caucus.
At that time, I met with the Syndicat national des éleveurs de chevaux in connection with the Canadian horse. Their purpose in coming to us was to call for recognition of this animal as the emblem of Quebec.
At that time, we had just begun in government, replacing the Bourassa government after a lengthy Liberal presence in Quebec, and the agricultural caucus had a huge job to do. When we were asked to support the Canadian horse issue, it was not exactly pigeonholed, but it was somewhat set aside.
Hon. members will recall that, in 1976, Quebec agriculture had not yet set the parameters on the protection of agricultural land. This was one of our top priorities at that time. We were also addressing the parameters for farm income security, and the plans relating to this, and were in fact very much occupied with setting the parameters for agriculture in a modern Quebec.
It is safe to say that in the nine years I served in the National Assembly, the agricultural sector changed a great deal. Issues that were not necessarily secondary, but that may have seemed less urgent than others we were working on, were put on the back burner.
However, to my great pleasure, in 1999, through the MNA for Rimouski, Solange Charest—and I thank her and all those who are interested in the Canadian horse—the Landry government managed to pass a bill at the National Assembly recognizing this breed, which many people spoke of with great eloquence and truth, as part of Quebec's animal heritage.
This is a source of great pride for me. Indeed, the Canadian horse goes back to the beginning of our colony. It was around in the early days of New France. Quebecers have known the Canadian horse since the 1600s. It was given to the Chevalier de Montmagny, then Governor of New France, as a gift by the King. The Canadian horse became established among us. It is a breed we are proud of.
We are proud of it. It fought for its own survival, just like Quebecers. It had to fight, and so did we. We too had to fight.