Mr. Speaker, I stand in the House today to thank the voters of Prince Albert for the honour of representing them.
I would also like to thank my wife Jerri, my two children Alysia and Brock, and my dad Ivar for their love and unconditional support.
I would like to commend the Prime Minister for his commitment to construct a new icebreaker named in honour of our late prime minister and my late member of Parliament, the Right Hon. John Diefenbaker.
This is a great honour for the riding of Prince Albert. Mr. Diefenbaker clearly understood that Canadians could only fulfill their national dream by accepting the challenges and seizing the opportunities presented by our north. I am sure Prince Albert's proud designation as Saskatchewan's gateway to the north helped him to forge this understanding.
Rest assured that as the Prime Minister and the Conservative government pursue the challenges of the north, Prince Albert's residents, businesses and first nations will be there with their knowledge and expertise, just as Mr. Diefenbaker was during his tenure as my member of Parliament and as prime minister.