Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my riding of Sault Ste. Marie and all Canadians, for the second year in a row I am honoured to rise in the House and extend a warm welcome to members of the Canadian Steel Producers Association as they partake in their annual Steel Days on Parliament Hill.
Domestic steel operations directly employ over 22,000 middle-class Canadians while supporting an additional 100,000 indirect jobs. The Canadian Steel Producers are the national voice of Canada's $14-billion steel industry. Member companies, which include Algoma and Tenaris, annually produce approximately 13 million tonnes of primary steel and over one million tonnes of steel pipe and tube products in Canadian facilities. Canadian steel supports a healthy Canadian economy, which benefits Canadians from coast to coast to coast.
Please join with me in welcoming members of the Canadian Steel Producers Association to Parliament Hill.