Thank you, Mr. Roland. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, honourable Members.
Earlier this afternoon, Commissioner Helen Maksagak, the Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew, MP, the Honourable Charles Dent, myself and many others participated in a flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Canadian Flag.
The flag-raising ceremony was held as part of the Canada - Take it to Heart initiatives, where all Canadians are being asked to take time to honour those things that are important to us as individuals and members of the Canadian family.
Our Canadian Flag was raised for the first time in 1965, and for the past 31 years has been the most potent symbol of our identity and our sense of belonging to Canada.
There are so many reasons for joining together to celebrate this cherished symbol that identifies us as unique, proud and confident people. I hope that this event today on the anniversary of the Canadian Flag will strengthen our sense of belonging and our faith in this country as today and every day we realize how fortunate we are to live in a country like Canada, truly the envy of the world.
At this time, I would like to recognize in the gallery, our MP for the Western Arctic, Ms. Ethel Blondin-Andrew.
---Applause
Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Dent.