Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to pay tribute to the people of Kamloops, Thompson and Highland Valleys and the many other British Columbians who have endured and battled this summer's fierce forest fires.
Cohesion, compassion and a pioneering spirit are our greatest weapons against such adversity. I want to thank the countless volunteers and professionals who assisted both directly and indirectly in fighting the fires, as well as those who continue to devote their time and energy to the recovery effort.
I want to make special mention of the Mennonite Disaster Service, whose volunteers from the riding of my colleague from Provencher and other areas pitched in to clean up the aftermath.
I also want to thank the ranchers from the riding of Wild Rose, Alberta, who have come to the rescue with generous donations of hay and straw for the multitude of livestock whose pasture was destroyed in the fires.
I wish there were some way to appropriately and individually recognize each and every person. Unfortunately this is not possible, given the number of firefighters, military personnel--