Mr. Speaker, it is with a great sense of gratitude that I rise today to thank the people of Prince George—Peace River, including my wife, kids and parents who are with us today, for entrusting me with the responsibility of representing their interests here in Ottawa.
To that end, local community and business leaders in my riding have made it clear that we must continue to promote oil and gas as a stable, secure and ethical source of energy.
Canada is fortunate to have an abundance of natural energy resources. In fact, energy represents roughly 7% of our gross domestic product and creates hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs across this country.
In resource-rich regions like northeastern B.C., our government continues to support an industry that is creating jobs and economic opportunity.