Hon. members, I beg to return my humble acknowledgments to the House for the great honour you have been pleased to confer upon me by choosing me to be your Speaker.
I must say it is a pleasure to be back in the House after our absence of several months and to have this chance to express my thanks to the electors of Kingston and the Islands for returning me once again to be their member of Parliament.
It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to serve in this chamber, as those of us who have been here for a while have discovered, and for those who are newly elected will find out over the next few days. I look forward very much to the sittings of the House for the next while.
As I mentioned this morning, the change in the seating arrangements is one that some of us find a little more dramatic because there has been quite a shift. I recognize the advantages of sitting on either side having done it before, so I appreciate the chance to recognize members from different sides. I hope I do not make too many errors in calling members by former titles or names. There has been a shift and I will try to be correct about that.
I also want to say how much I look forward to the official opening of the House tomorrow and the debates that will follow.
Thank you for electing me as your Speaker. I have spoken with a number of you. I appreciate the support you have given me in the past and the support you have shown for me today. The Speaker cannot do his job without the strong backing of all the members. I hope that you will help me during the session that will open tomorrow.
I also want to acknowledge the presence in the gallery of three of my sisters, Katherine, Amanda and Elizabeth, and the husbands of Kathy and Elizabeth. My mother is also present with my brother and his wife, Pat. I am delighted they could be here today, as they have been in the past.
I look forward very much to our opportunities to meet over the next few days.
I hope that we will have many opportunities to meet at receptions and other events that will follow the opening of Parliament. The work that the members do is extremely important to the House, the Speaker and everyone and such events afford us important opportunities to get together.
I hope the new members will get to meet some of the more experienced ones over the course of the next week or two. In the experience we have had here, it is a great group of men of women that Canadians have chosen to represent them in the House.
I look forward very much to working with all of you to make our country a better place to live. Thank you very much.
And the mace having been laid upon the table: