Mr. Speaker, history is alive and well in the city of Kingston, Ontario. On June 15, Kingstonians will gather together with family and friends in their city to celebrate First Capital Day.
On that day in Kingston in 1841, Governor General Lord Sydenham opened the first Parliament of the United Provinces of Canada. Eventually, Kingston's insufficient number of office buildings forced Parliament to move to Montreal, where it opened on November 28, 1844.
Over 160 years later, both the provincial and the federal governments have officially recognized Kingston as the First Capital of Canada. Thanks to the hard work of Mr. Ian Milne and Dr. Margaret Angus, the founders of First Capital Day, the occasion of Kingston's choice as Canada's first capital has been marked with much celebration for the past five years.
On behalf of myself and the member for Kingston and the Islands, I would like to congratulate Kingston for this celebration, and invite all Canadians who take pride in our heritage to come and join in the festivities at Canada's historic first capital on June 15.