Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the people of Essex for trusting me to represent them in Ottawa. I will work hard every day to be a strong voice for their priorities.
In Essex, family farms fill the landscape and are vital to the success of our local economy. Too many family farms have disappeared over the last decade in Essex, but despite farmers' many challenges, they are embracing environmentally sustainable and progressive conservation practices.
I want to specifically honour the work of Don and Neil Huber, who, like many farmers in my community, are spearheading innovative agricultural practices. By using no-till planting and helicopter seeding methods, they are helping the environment and reducing soil erosion and improving water quality.
To be a farmer is about more than growing food. A farmer is a small business owner, an employer, an accountant, a mechanic, and a climatologist, all the while living on a razor-thin profit margin and working far more than the traditional 40-hour work week.
I want to thank Don and Neil Huber and all the farmers in my riding and across Canada. They do not just feed their families and their neighbours, but are truly artists in their “field”.