Mr. Speaker, this is the time of year when we are all getting ready to celebrate Christmas and New Year's. We are planning our holiday meals with family and buying gifts for children, relatives and friends. Big box retailers are having sales on a wide range of items, but we must not forget the small businesses, artisans and makers in our communities.
Shopping local means investing in our economy to help create jobs. It also means supporting small businesses, independent retailers and makers in the regions, especially mine. It is also a way to reduce our environmental footprint, because the fewer kilometres there are between us and our products, the less shipping is required, which means fewer greenhouse gas emissions. This Christmas, let us shop local and support local businesses.