Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. In 1970, a young bush pilot showed up in Fort Smith with an Aztec, the first instrumental flight-rated airplane for hire in that community. Over the years, Mr. McBryan became a sincere friend and supporter of the trappers around Fort Smith. Indeed, in many cases, he was their lifeline back to civilization after months in the bush. Whether or not the trappers had the money to pay for the service, McBryan hauled them out to their trap lines, gear and all, including their dogteams, and then picked them up at the end of the season without fail.
That same Aztec doubled as a Bird Dog aircraft during the fire season and maintained a base in Fort Smith for medevac service for the rest of the year. It did not go south, Mr. Speaker. During that 10-year period, Buffalo Joe, as he became known, was called on to fly so many medevacs that in one instance, he had a mother from Fort Resolution give birth to her 11th child in the back of the Aztec, and she named the boy after the pilot -- Joe.
The little company was eventually sold to a young bush pilot that he had trained, the late Billy Burke of Fort Smith, who bought the float plane operation and renamed it Loon Air. During those years in Fort Smith, Mr. McBryan entered into a partnership with a couple of southern boys who eventually migrated back home and sold their partnership shares to McBryan who became the sole owner and operator of Buffalo Airways, as we know it today. The company continued to grow from a couple of float planes to a DC-3 service, combined with a small fleet of helicopters. Buffalo today now owns the largest operating fleet of DC-3s in Canada, if not in all North
America. And this is a model of one of their airplanes, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause
My colleague brought a cod head here one time, so I thought a model airplane wouldn't be so bad.
---Laughter
Long-time northerners will easily recall that Buffalo Airways has already provided 15 years of solid service to the forest firefighting industry at its base at Fort Smith and at Fort Simpson. Furthermore, Buffalo Airways has always been a leader in the support, hiring and training of young northerners wanting to enter the aviation industry. Pilots have come up through the training ranks and are held in such high regard in the industry.
Today young pilots, bubbling with more ambition than DC-3s and DC-4s can contain, have gone on to fly in the big leagues with the international airlines on jet planes. Mr. Speaker, I take great pride in being a Member of a government that is willing to demonstrate support for northern entrepreneurs. I am proud to be part of a government that is confident enough to take the necessary steps to ensure that millions of northern dollars will stay in the north. Indeed, a reputable northern company built, according to the dreams of a little northern boy, who used to play on the shores of Gordon Lake with wooden airplanes, who now owns real ones.
I rise today to point out the positive aspects of a genuine northern company that is caught up in the cross fire of a political battle that is taking place in this House and is detracting from the true meaning of northern entrepreneurship. I ask this House to joint me in extending congratulations to Buffalo Airways, a genuine northern company celebrating 25 years of quality aviation services. Thank you.
---Applause