Mr. Speaker, esteemed colleagues, I cannot help but notice that I am speaking from a seat a little further back in the House. That means that, while we will still be just as courteous, we will have to speak even louder so that, when the time comes, we can show that numbers are not everything.
On behalf of myself and the Bloc Québécois, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the new Speaker and to thank the voters who participated in this democratic exercise, both in my riding of Beloeil—Chambly and across Quebec and Canada.
I want to point out that the Prime Minister referred to Athenian institutions and that the Leader of the Opposition spoke a lot about the monarchy. I would have expected the opposite, but we will come back to that, perhaps tomorrow.
I would also like to extend my best wishes to the entire House in anticipation of what we hope will be serious work under the watchful eye of our new Speaker. I hope that this Parliament will take a more collaborative approach. That would be good for us, it would be good for all the members here in the House, and it is a highly responsible approach. I would like to ask all members, both new and old, to be the best colleagues they can be so that the Bloc Québécois will be compelled to be even better and be the best colleagues we can be. Of course, we will be focusing on our priorities in the coming days, and our colleagues know what those are.
In particular, I want us all to reflect on the importance and privilege of democracy. I believe we need to get voters engaged again so that, in the future, they will vote for something they really want, motivated by enthusiasm and hope, and not so much by concern, apprehension or fear.
I believe we have the potential to achieve this, because in the last few minutes, and to some extent in the last few weeks, I have had a chance to speak with a number of you. Even then, especially during my brief conversations with the Prime Minister and with Conservative colleagues, I sensed that we have it in us to change our tone and the way we collaborate. That seems to me like the only path forward to regaining the respect of the voters who selected the members of this Parliament.
Above all, I hope that we can accomplish this work with good humour and enjoyment. Our work arises from an incredible privilege that you, Mr. Speaker, will be called upon to protect. I offer you my sincere congratulations.