Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour for me to rise in the House of Commons to pay tribute to some exceptional people from my riding of Durham. It had two proud athletes at the Sochi Olympic games and I would like to highlight their achievements.
Newcastle's Tara Watchorn played defence on our gold-medal winning women's hockey team. Growing up in Newcastle and playing in Durham, she got a scholarship to Boston University before making her first Team Canada. Her parents, Bob and Jacquie, were on hand in Sochi with their lucky loonies to watch their daughter win, and tomorrow, March 1, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Newcastle town hall, we can praise her achievement and see her gold medal up close.
As well, Matt Morrison from Burketon in my riding appeared in his second Olympic games. He grew up skiing at the Brimacombe ski resort and has done my area proud in two Olympic games as a proud member of the men's snowboard team.
These exceptional people have not only inspired our community, but will also push our next generation to achieve, and I celebrate that.