Mr. Speaker, today I am calling attention to one of the 46 communities in my riding: Hearst.
Nestled in the boreal forest of northeastern Ontario, Hearst is a town whose main employers are two sawmills, a plywood plant and Villeneuve Construction, a civil engineering and road maintenance company.
The town of Hearst was forged by generations of northern workers and families who built not only industries, but also strong communities and a sustainable future for their children. Its language and traditions make the region unique. In Hearst, French is not a secondary language; it is the language of work. The town's bilingual character is part of our daily lives, our economy and our future.
Today, Hearst is an emblem of Franco-Canadian culture and the determination to never give up.