Madam Speaker, this is National Public Service Week, with the theme “Proudly Serving Canadians”.
I have had several meetings with public service unions, including PIPS, PSAC, and others, to discuss and better understand their issues. This kind of dialogue is critical to revitalizing our government's relationship with the federal public service.
Many of my personal friends, who are highly qualified, are public servants. I know they, and thousands of residents of Nepean and Ottawa, work very hard in delivering services to Canadians.
As the Prime Minister has said, public servants help us tackle the real challenges that we face as a country. They serve a vital role in our democracy, and are a source of pride and a model to other countries and governments. It is truly a privilege to work with our public servants every day.