Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Dartmouth—Cole Harbour's beautiful Lake Banook and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia's paddling culture.
In Dartmouth, folks do not ask if they paddle, they ask where they paddle.
Last month, Lake Banook successfully hosted the 2018 Pan-American Canoe Sprint Championships. Over 350 elite paddlers from more than 16 countries competed on our world-recognized natural race course.
I want to thank and commend the folks in Atlantic Division CanoeKayak Canada, Banook Canoe Club, Mic Mac Amateur Aquatic Club, Abenaki Aquatic Club, Senobe Aquatic Club and all the incredible volunteers who worked so hard to make this event a success.
Paddling has always been a huge part of Dartmouth's identity and its culture, and Lake Banook is our world stage to showcase our pride in our community.
In 2020, Lake Banook will host the world championships for the third time.
I invite all members to come to beautiful Dartmouth, Nova Scotia in 2020 to experience all that Lake Banook has to offer.