Mr. Speaker, on the evening of September 21, 2018, off the coast of the Lower St. Lawrence, a 22-foot sailboat ran violently aground on a reef, leaving its two sailors clinging to the mast, fearing the worst. Despite extreme weather conditions, 100-kilometre-an-hour winds and three-metre waves, the Canadian Coast Guard auxiliary volunteers in my region took to the sea with one goal in mind: to save lives. Thanks to Ted Savage and his crew, the worst was avoided.
More than five years after the events, the men who risked their lives to save others have never received any recognition. These people, acting on a volunteer basis, with very little means, deserve all the honours in the world for the acts of bravery they carry out every day.
That is why I feel humbly compelled to officially thank Jonathan Brunet, Philippe Charbonneau, François‑Xavier Bérubé‑Dufour and Ted Savage on behalf of the people of Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia.