Lobster Industry  Mr. Speaker, as you well know, everyone in southern Nova Scotia knows there are four seasons: spring, summer, fall and lobster. Dumping day marks the beginning of the season when over 1,700 fishers in areas 33 and 34 will go out in the roughest and worst conditions to catch the best lobster in the world, which will be exported to markets across the United States and Asia.

Persons Day  Mr. Speaker, each year, on October 18, we recognize Persons Day, a day that commemorates how women became “persons” under the law and recognizes strong female leadership. This past March, I had the privilege of joining colleagues from all sides of this House in New York, at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, where we heard from incredible female leaders about boosting their rural economies.

Special Olympians  Mr. Speaker, this summer, Nova Scotia hosted the national Special Olympics at Saint Francis Xavier University University in Antigonish. Many athletes, coaches and volunteers from my riding of South Shore—St. Margarets spent days competing, making friends, having fun and saw plenty of success in the standings.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of constituents in my riding of South Shore—St. Margarets. These constituents recognize the challenges refugees face when coming to Canada, like having to learn a new language or securing employment, and because of this, they wish to see resettled refugees exempt from travel loan repayment.

Brain Injury Awareness Month  Mr. Speaker, June is Brain Injury Awareness Month, which is something my family will be talking about as much as possible, because we know how quickly one's life can change. My sister-in-law Karen fell down the stairs last August and suffered a massive brain injury. After two surgeries and three weeks on life support, my brother had to make the difficult decision to remove Karen from the machines that were keeping her alive.

Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a second to thank my hon. colleague from Nanaimo—Ladysmith for her tireless work on this issue. I know that she has spoken in the House many times on the issue of abandoned and derelict vessels. As someone from a coastal community, I really appreciate all the hard work she has done on this.

Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act  Mr. Speaker, with regard to the Miner that he talked about, it was $15 million for the province to clean that mess up. That is money that could have been so much better spent somewhere else. I am really glad to see the legislation coming forward. With regard to the member's question, to the best of my knowledge the government has not actually abandoned a vessel.

Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to rise today in support of Bill C-64. As a matter of fact, I am not just happy, I am thrilled to see this legislation before the House at report stage. After years of zero action by successive governments on the issues of abandoned and wrecked vessels, I am particularly happy our government is taking steps to respond to the pleas of coastal communities and address the issue that has plagued our coastlines for years.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I wonder if it would be possible to table a report from committee. I was not able to be here when you were requesting reports from committees. I would request unanimous consent to table this report.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 16th report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, entitled “Atlantic Canada's Marine Commercial Vessel Length and Licensing Policies—Working Towards Equitable Policies for Fishers in all of Atlantic Canada”.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 13th report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans in relation to Bill C-68, An Act to amend the Fisheries Act and other Acts in consequence. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.

Extension of Sitting Hours  Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague kept talking about the disrespect being shown to the House. I was here on Friday, on House duty. The disrespect shown in the House when for one hour solid the members opposite slammed their desks and would not listen to the Speaker when he called for order was total disrespect.

Cystic Fibrosis  Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, members of Parliament were seen sporting a yellow rose in support of people with cystic fibrosis. Members of my household are familiar with the challenges caused by CF. Growing up, my son's best friend suffered from complications of this debilitating disease, and still does.

Tourism Industry  Mr. Speaker, tourism is a huge economic driver in my province of Nova Scotia and especially in my riding of South Shore—St. Margarets. Next week, the Rendez-vous Canada conference will be held in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We will be welcoming members of the tourism industry from not only our country but from around the world.

Petite Rivière Elementary School  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about Petite Rivière, more commonly referred to as just Petite, an elementary school in my riding of South Shore—St. Margarets but also in my community. Jut a few months ago, Petite was on the brink of closure, a decision that would have devastated its students and their families and our whole community, but we rallied around to support it.