Restoring Mail Delivery for Canadians Act  Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to take a few minutes to wish all of my constituents in Trois-Rivières a happy national holiday and to let them know that I will be there for the activities. I imagine that I should be there in a few hours.

Restoring Mail Delivery for Canadians Act  I was obviously expecting that response. Thank you to my dear colleague from Bourassa. I went through this preamble not because I have not slept much and am rambling, but because I noticed that here, in this House, we have witnessed a miracle. The calendar on the desk shows that it is still June 23.

Restoring Mail Delivery for Canadians Act  Mr. Speaker, even though I did not find the question in there, I am pleased to be part of this brotherhood of teachers with my learned colleague. What seems most important in what he said is that when we are part of a union, we can bring people together, closer, and we can create winning conditions.

Restoring Mail Delivery for Canadians Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for his question. I simply want to point out to him that the day after my election I was invited to meet with the Picazo family, which was dealing with an immigration issue that needed to be settled very urgently. That family was threatened with deportation within four or five days.

Restoring Mail Delivery for Canadians Act  Mr. Speaker, I will answer by quoting a short statement made by Claude Mercier, who is the president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers for the Mauricie. He provides a small sample of how Canada Post works in my riding. In his letter, he says that, as regards service to the public, the mail was not delivered in some areas of Trois-Rivières last Friday, because it stayed in the letter carriers' sorting cases and the management had decided not to use replacement personnel.

Restoring Mail Delivery for Canadians Act  Mr. Speaker, on my own behalf, and as the critic on francophonie, allow me to first wish a happy national holiday to all Quebeckers. This day has been called the national holiday for the past few years to be more inclusive of all minorities in Quebec. My age is betraying me here.

Resumption and Continuation of Postal Services Legislation  Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the many speeches made by government members and they seem to want to lead us to believe that there is a sense of urgency and that we must act quickly. They are trying to get their point across by taking every opportunity to remind us that negotiations have been underway for eight months.

Riding of Trois-Rivières  Mr. Speaker, one minute to talk about the important events in my riding is not very much. But I would like to mention a few situations that reflect the best things, and in some instances the worst, that are on the minds of the people of Trois-Rivières. First, I would like to wish all Quebeckers a happy national holiday.

Pulp and Paper Industry  Mr. Speaker, at one time the pulp and paper industry was the economic heart of Trois-Rivières. The Kruger company recently announced almost another hundred local layoffs. In my region, job losses in this sector have been on the rise for years and we fear the bleeding will continue.

Trois-Rivières  Mr. Speaker, I am both moved and proud to be speaking for the first time in this House on behalf of the people of Trois-Rivières. The people of Trois-Rivières who provided me with this opportunity come from all political parties, and I wish to thank them for their support. Many of them heard and believed in the NDP's message about working together to find solutions to the issues affecting them.