Pat Finnigan

[Alyssa Sippley, February 4th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to tell the House about the courage of a young girl from my riding of Miramichi—Grand Lake and about the generosity of the people in her community of Baie-Sainte-Anne.

Young Alyssa Sippley's misfortune began two years ago when she was only nine years old. She developed a step throat infection and had to be transferred to the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, where she underwent surgery to amputate her arms and legs and where she remained for over a year to undergo rehabilitation.

The people of the community took action. Under the leadership of Marie-Paule Thériault, a retired school teacher, they found a home owned by the RCMP that was not in use and made it accessible for young Alyssa. The entire region also donated over $150,000 in supplies and volunteer time.

This shows that, even if people in rural communities live a bit farther away from each other, they are closer in spirit than anywhere else.

[Business of Supply, December 10th, 2015]

Madam Speaker, my NDP colleague's comments are unclear. Like us, he is opposed to the bombing mission in Iraq against Daesh. However, I do not exactly understand what he would do if he were prime minister today.

What would his position be? Would he commit to having some kind of presence? It is very difficult to follow his reasoning on this issue.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague on the other side of the House.

Two years ago, the previous government closed an agricultural research centre in my riding. It conducted applied research for farmers, which allowed them to plant new crops that were suitable for our region.

Does my hon. colleague believe that closing that institution was a good thing? Given the new opportunities for trade with Europe, should we invest in a new institution, or at least in applied research?

[Miramichi—Grand Lake, December 7th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to send greetings to the good people of my riding of Miramichi—Grand Lake.

Since the early days of our great country, the four Mi'kmaq communities in my riding have shared their magnificent land with newcomers from Acadian, Irish, Scottish and so many other backgrounds.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the western provinces, particularly Alberta, for providing good work for our men and women as our local economy was struggling. My goal, however, is to bring back economic prosperity to my region.

As my region is a historical trade gateway to Europe and the rest of the world, I trust that the final touch on the European trade agreement will happen soon, so our region can take advantage of this tremendous opportunity.

Lastly, I would like to thank the people of my riding for putting their trust in me. On behalf of my wife, Lise, and myself, I wish them happy holidays and a prosperous and healthy new year.

I wish happy holidays and a prosperous year to all.