Mr. Speaker, having spent most of my life as a dairy farmer in eastern Prince Edward Island, I would like to take this opportunity to raise a glass to all the dairy farmers across this nation.
As members may know, World Milk Day was June 1. It is a day celebrated around the world. It highlights the nutritional value of milk and recognizes the hard work of our dairy farmers, the women and men who work so hard every day to provide safe and nutritious milk to Canadians.
With over 9,000 Canadian dairy farms, the dairy sector supports over 270,000 full-time jobs in communities in every province across this country. A healthy, vibrant dairy sector brings stability to both rural and urban communities while supporting the vitality of its related industries.
I am proud to be a Canadian dairy farmer, to be the son of a dairy farmer and the father of another. To use a phrase coined by the members opposite, I come from boots, not suits.