Mr. Speaker, Cape Breton has once again been recognized for its national award-winning entertainment. The Celtic Colours International Festival took home a great honour from the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.
The Celtic Colours International Festival was named the event of the year at a gala during Canada's leadership summit in Victoria, B.C. Held each fall throughout Cape Breton, the nine day festival of Celtic music and the beautiful fall colours attract over 7,000 visitors to Cape Breton each year.
The awards for tourism excellence, presented by The Globe and Mail, were developed in 2003 by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, which is a private sector advocate for Canada's $67 billion tourist industry.
Celtic Colours is a leader in tourism excellence and a shining example of what Cape Breton Island has to offer.
Mr. Speaker, if you have not been to Celtic Colours, I encourage you, along with all the members of the House, to partake in Canada's Celtic heritage.
Again, the member for Cape Breton—Canso and I offer our congratulations to the performers and volunteers of Celtic Colours on winning this prestigious award.