Hon. members, I beg to return my humble acknowledgements to the House for the great honour you have been pleased to confer upon me by choosing me to be the Speaker.
This is a very humbling experience. I want to note at the beginning that it is almost 100 years since an MP from Atlantic Canada has been the Speaker of this House.
I first want to send my love to my wife Kelly, who could not be here today on this our 22nd wedding anniversary. However, I am delighted to have my mom and dad here today.
I very much look forward to working with our new Prime Minister, the other party leaders, with the House leaders, with every member and for every member of this House. I look forward to working with them to build a positive working environment for all, and I hope we will have meaningful, respectful debate.
I am so pleased to know that I can count on our most distinguished Acting Clerk and his deputies. I know that we will all appreciate the good work of all House of Commons employees.
You have given me an important responsibility, and I will need your support. We must elevate the tone in the House and restore decorum. Mutual respect, despite our differences, is essential.
My role as your Speaker is to be fair, and I want to assure all of you that I intend to be fair and I intend to be firm. I will not tolerate heckling. We do not need it. We will not tolerate unparliamentary conduct.
After the fire in this building in 1916, construction began, and it took 60 years to finish the carvings on the stone on the inside of this building. Members have seen the paintings as well. When we look at those carvings and we walk these halls, we see how many of them depict people from this country working, the toil of our citizens. We think of the toil that built this place, that built our democracy. We think also, when we see the remembrances here, of the 116,000 Canadians who are buried overseas, who fought so that we could speak freely here and express our different opinions. Let us here resolve to conduct ourselves in this place that we might be worthy of the sacrifices they made.
I want to conclude by congratulating every member and welcoming them to the 42nd Parliament of Canada.
And the mace having been laid upon the table: