Mr. Speaker, decades of hard work by cheesemakers and dairy farmers in my riding have helped to create wealth in our rural areas.
On an island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, the hard-working and enterprising population of Isle-aux-Grues produces cheeses like Riopelle de l'Isle and an aged cheddar that earned top honours at the British Empire Cheese Competition.
Le Mouton Blanc, a cheese factory in La Pocatière, turns out exceptional products and earned a Lower St. Lawrence tourism award in 2014.
Thanks to their day-to-day efforts and supply management, dairy farmers and cheesemakers are building not only a part of our food heritage, but also a part of our collective identity.
The House will soon vote on NDP Motion No. 496. It asks that our cheesemakers be protected from the negative impacts of the agreement with the European Union. The New Democrats will defend each point in Motion No. 496 until cheesemakers are guaranteed a viable future.
We are willing to support an agreement that benefits the manufacturing industry, but we will not leave anyone out.