Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of the greatest Canadians of all time, David Thompson, a man who set out for unknown territory at the young age of 14 as an apprentice with the Hudson's Bay Company.
He set sail from England in 1784, heading west to what is now Canada.
In 1797 he defected to the North West Company to pursue his interests in surveying and mapping. Mr. Thompson mapped out one-sixth of our country, or about four million square miles. He covered territory from Lake Superior to the Pacific.
In 1808 David Thompson travelled from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta to Fort William, now Thunder Bay, Ontario to report the opening of a trans-mountain trade route through the Rocky Mountains.
Although he passed away in near obscurity in 1857, he is now called the greatest land geographer who ever lived.
This week in the town of Devon in my riding, people celebrated the David Thompson Brigade.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of this event and modern day voyageurs will commemorate Mr. Thompson by retracing his journey.
As Canadians, we should be proud of his achievements in how he helped shape our great country.