Mr. Speaker, for the fiftieth year, Quebec's winter carnival has given Canadians an opportunity to experience happiness and a zest for life during the dreary days of February.
The popularity of this event has not waned: initial estimates set the number of visitors at 450,000 during the carnival's 17 days. Most of these visitors made more than one visit to the site.
Even Mother Nature cooperated this year, with generally mild temperatures during the event.
The carnival's organizers were brilliantly successful in providing a fitting celebration of the event's fiftieth anniversary.
I feel it would be appropriate for this House to send its sincere congratulations to the carnival's chair, Danielle Chamberland, and her entire team, in making this 50th carnival a resounding success.