Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish the City of Lachine a very happy birthday. Some 350 years ago, France granted the Domaine Saint-Sulpice to explorer René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle. Over the centuries, this simple seigneury became the third parish on the island of Montreal, as well as serving as departure point for fur traders heading north, and later literally became Montreal's main industrial corridor thanks to the building of the canal.
If people are planning to visit Montreal to celebrate its 375th anniversary, they should be sure to stop by Lachine. All summer long, there will plenty of activities designed to mark our sesquarcentennial, celebrate our past, and look toward our future.