Mr. Speaker, I rise here today to draw attention to the International Plowing Match, which is being held this week in Chute-à-Blondeau, in my riding of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell.
The plowing match brings together farmers from across North America and around the globe, giving them the opportunity to show off their skills and to celebrate agriculture. Over 80,000 people are expected to attend this year's celebration. I would also like to emphasize that, this week, we are celebrating the first bilingual International Plowing Match.
I also salute the 30 lovely Queen of the Furrow contestants from counties all across Ontario. I congratulate Courtney Connors of my own county of Prescott-Russell on having been crowned Queen of the Furrow. We are very proud of Courtney.
I personally congratulate key organizers Mayor Gary Barton, Mayor Robert Kirby and Bruno Lecot, and the more than 1,000 volunteers for their generosity and hard work in making this year's International Plowing Match such a tremendous success.