Madam Speaker, watching last month's news, all Canadians witnessed the carnage of monstrous fires raging through the Okanagan Valley, destroying tens of thousands of acres of forest, almost 250 homes and resulting in one of the largest mass evacuations in Canadian history.
On today's news we see the first family members who have begun to rebuild their home from the ashes where it once stood. This reflects the spirit of every man, woman and child in the Okanagan who reached out to help one another in their time of need.
The entire region, though on the road to recovery, is now in need of the federal funding which followed other disasters such as the Manitoba floods and the Quebec ice storms. The Prime Minister well knows that many British Columbians feel they are not treated as well by the federal government as others are. Now the Prime Minister has the opportunity to prove the questioners wrong.
Mr. Prime Minister, please do not wait until the eve of the next election to come waltzing into our burned out areas with the much needed funding. Prove to us now that we are not second class citizens. People and businesses are hurting now. Please tell us, sir, when will you stand and deliver?