Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the government and all members of this House, congratulations on your re-election.
In the House we have members who have served for decades and those who are starting their very first term. We have women and men representing every part of this country and every community that makes it strong. They have once again chosen these members to help guide our shared work. I congratulate them.
I also want to take a moment to recognize all of our colleagues who ran for this position. I thank them for their dedication to this institution and to our democracy.
For me personally, today is the fifth time I have had the honour of being elected to the House at the beginning of a new Parliament. I would like to take this opportunity, since I also cannot take part in statements by members, to thank the voters of Papineau who have placed their trust in me once again. I will always work diligently to represent them and their interests.
For more than a dozen years, I have had the privilege of serving as a member of the House. We have come together in times of tragedy and celebrated in times of joy. We have stepped forward on the path of reconciliation. We have fought through a pandemic that engulfed our world.
As we are carrying out our duties, debate can get heated at times, as members know.
Mr. Speaker, we elected you to help us remain civil in our debates and to remind us that we are all here for the same reason: to serve Canadians. These days, that is more important than ever.
In September, Canadians chose a Parliament that would work together to get big things done, to put this pandemic behind us, to build a resilient economy and good middle-class jobs, to fight climate change and to continue walking the road of reconciliation. It is no small thing to build a better and stronger future, so there will be moments when we will get caught up in heated debate. When that happens, we will have the Speaker to guide us back on track.
This is a historic moment of change and opportunity for our country. I know the Speaker will help us rise to meet it.
Thank you, my friend, and congratulations once again.