Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to pay tribute to the people of the beautiful municipality of Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, which is home to the now-famous Lacolle border crossing.
It was already one of the busiest entry points in Canada, and this summer over 7,000 asylum seekers turned up there.
I proudly congratulate the people of Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle; the mayor, Robert Duteau; the fire chief, Normand Faille; and especially the residents of the infamous Roxham Road, who worked closely with the RCMP and other officials to help set up emergency facilities and address security issues. They are also the ones who asked me on several occasions how we can help those individuals.
This is how we welcome and support newcomers to Châteauguay—Lacolle.