Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the government and every member of this House, I want to congratulate you on your election.
I also want to thank all the other candidates for the speakership. I thank them for answering the call to keep our democracy healthy and strong.
Mr. Speaker, today, you are the first Black Canadian to become Speaker of the House. This should be inspiring for all Canadians, especially those in younger generations who want to get involved in politics. Congratulations.
The House is the home of Canadian democracy. Members of Parliament come from every corner of the country to represent their communities. Canadians from coast to coast to coast elect us to work hard for them and to be their voices in this place. They elected us to deliver results to help make their lives better. This remains our number one job. The only way we can make progress is by working together and by respecting each other.
The House of Commons is a place of debate. It is to be expected that we will not always agree with each other.
Mr. Speaker, we have elected you to help us keep our debates civil and to remind us that we are all here for the same reason: to serve Canadians.
These are consequential times for Canada and for the world. We must continue to work together to make life more affordable, to build more homes, to keep our democracy strong, to fight climate change and to power the clean economy of tomorrow.
We must keep working to uphold Canada's promise of a better quality of life for every generation.
In these consequential times, Canadians expect us all to work together to deliver results. They expect us to behave to the highest standards. I know you will help us rise to meet this moment.
Canada is the best country in the world. Let us keep working all together to make it even better.