Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to commend the people of New Brunswick for their courage, their generosity, their great desire to help one another, and their community solidarity.
The federal government took action as soon as it received the call. The Province's initial request for aid was approved in 17 minutes, and troops arrived in New Brunswick the next day. In four days, our soldiers visited 4,500 homes. They distributed food and water. They cleared debris and helped things get back to normal faster. The presence of the armed forces made a real difference and brought peace and comfort to people in a very stressful situation.