Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge a very courageous and generous young man, 15-year-old Mark Arendz of North Wiltshire, P.E.I. In 1997 Mark lost his left arm in a farm accident. Since that time, Mark has demonstrated a phenomenal will to both recover and make a valued contribution to his community.
With the assistance of the War Amps CHAMP organization, Mark has become a junior counsellor, acting as a role model for other young people in similar circumstances.
Mark, though, has taken his message further. With the help of Marilyn Affleck, coordinator with the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture's farm health and safety program, Mark has been meeting with school students to talk about the program's “be careful” message, which is, when working on the farm, to be careful and aware of farm hazards.
Agriculture is the backbone of P.E.I.'s economy. Our farmers, farm workers and farm families are essential to the prosperity of this industry. Through the effort and example of people like Mark Arendz, the message of working safely is reaching future generations.