Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the exceptional work of the Centre de femmes Haut-Richelieu. It is a centre for public education on the status of women that was founded in 1983 to help improve the living conditions of women.
This year, Lucie Boudreault and Francine Pilon, two smart, caring women, won the prestigious female personality of the year award for 2016. These two women in the riding of Saint-Jean are very involved in their respective fields. We can see that their influence is paving the way to economic and social equality.
I want to congratulate the two award recipients and the Centre de femmes Haut-Richelieu and point out to my colleagues that this organization worked actively to submit a proposal to Status of Women Canada for an initiative to prepare women for political life and thereby promote gender parity in decision-making bodies.