Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate you and the Speaker on your appointments. I know that you will uphold law and order in this most sacred temple of democracy.
I am honoured to rise today for the first time in the House to represent my constituents in Sherbrooke, who are engaged, dynamic people. I want to take a moment to congratulate Kim Boutin of Sherbrooke, who won several medals this weekend at the short track speed skating World Cup in Shanghai. She is a model of strength, discipline and determination.
Now I want to thank some people without whom I could never have aspired to represent the people of Sherbrooke. First I want to thank my family, who have given me support and unconditional love throughout my journey into politics. I also want to thank all of the volunteers, as well as my campaign team, who worked non-stop to share our vision of Sherbrooke and Canada. Thanks to their excellent work, we were able to convince the people of Sherbrooke that we were the best team to represent them.
My team and I have been on the job since October 22. I plan to be very active and present in my riding, to listen to people's concerns and to advocate for their projects and issues.
I want to do my part to build a better future for my community, for Sherbrooke, for Quebec, for our country, for our planet and first and foremost for the next generations. This is why I chose to enter politics.
I have a clear plan and vision for Sherbrooke. I will use my term to propose several initiatives. Without a doubt, the main issue that pushed me to run for office is the environment. I love nature and outdoor activities, so the issue of climate change really resonates with me. I wanted to be part of the team put together by our Prime Minister, who has a real plan for Canada and who is leading the fight against climate change. Every action counts, no matter how small or large.
We must continue the electrification of public transit in Sherbrooke, particularly with hybrid buses, ban single-use plastics, and promote and support the development of green technologies by getting behind our university and college researchers. Above all, we must continue engaging with Canadians to make them aware of the challenges involved in the fight against climate change.
The status of women is also a key issue for me. I am proud to be part of a political party that is not afraid to introduce feminist policies. Consider, for example, Canada's feminist international assistance policy, brought forward by my colleague, the member for Compton—Stanstead. The presence of women in the public arena, and particularly in politics, is a very important issue. I want to work with my colleagues to improve how we do things, so that young women and young mothers can become MPs without neglecting their families. We need to continue to encourage women to run for office, and I want to serve as a positive role model for anyone who wishes to do so.
Another important challenge relates to the labour shortage and immigration. We must continue to welcome newcomers with generosity and support the harmonious integration of immigrants into our society. Throughout my campaign I had the opportunity to meet business people, and many of them talked about the labour shortage. They all expressed an openness towards welcoming immigrant workers.
Lastly, there is also economic development. We need to make Sherbrooke a centre of innovation and research and development for green technology industries. We also need to support economic development by supporting innovative start-ups. The strategic innovation fund is already helping many businesses in the region, and our government will build on that.
Our Prime Minister's throne speech was unifying. Our government's priorities, including the fight against climate change and lower taxes for the middle class, reflect the priorities of the people of Sherbrooke, and that is why I am going to support it.