Hon. members, I beg to return my humble acknowledgement to the House for the great honour you have been pleased to confer upon me by choosing me to be your Speaker.
Thank you very much, my dear colleagues. It is a pleasure to be back here. I have looked forward to it for a while now, since the election was over on October 14. As I said earlier today in my remarks to you, I want to thank you for your support today, but also to welcome the new members to the House.
I know that there are more than 60 new members. Welcome to the House and I hope that your experience as members in this wonderful place will be great for both you and the constituents who elected you.
I want to also thank the electors of Kingston and the Islands who returned me to the House again. I see there are a number of us from the class of '88 here today. I know we have all enjoyed the experience except that we are dwindling in numbers. That is part of it, but the experience on the whole is excellent. I want to say what a treat it has been to work in the House of Commons for all these years and to be back after this last election.
I want to thank the electors of Kingston and the Islands for sending me back once more. It is a pleasure working with them and serving them in the House.
I also want to thank you for all the support you have given me over the last seven years as your Speaker. I have enjoyed my opportunities to meet and discuss issues with you.
Sometimes each party has a different opinion on certain questions asked of the Speaker. However, even that provides us with an opportunity to share ideas and work together.
I hope that the party leaders in the House and I, and all of the other members, if necessary, can start working together tomorrow as usual to organize House business, at least from a procedural point of view.
I hope we can arrange to make the chamber more orderly and I know the new members will urge their noisier colleagues to tone things down so we can have quieter, more productive chamber. That is our hope.
Finally, if I may, I would like to point out the presence of my family members in the gallery today. I usually do this on this occasion. My mother is here for the fourth time for this election. Three of my sisters and my brother are also here, Katherine, Amanda, Elizabeth and Bill. I am delighted they are here, and I see some of my in-laws as well as my niece and nephew. I thank them for being here today.
It is always a bit of a show here in the House and I am sure they have enjoyed it.
To all members, I express my profound thanks. Might I suggest that if, after a few other comments, members would care to drop by the office behind here for a little refreshment, we would be pleased to welcome all hon. members.
Before the Prime Minister speaks, there is one little procedural matter to deal with.
And the mace having been laid upon the table: