SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 148

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 14, 2022 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 148 - Dec/14/22
Hon. Andrew Scheer (Regina—Qu'Appelle, CPC)
  • Dec/14/22 4:57:50 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Speaker, I do not want to sound too repetitive, but we are going to be thanking many of the same people. I, too, want to add my voice, on behalf of my colleagues, to wish everyone a merry Christmas around the parliamentary precinct. It has been a tumultuous few years. The House has seen a lot and has had to grapple with a lot of challenges over the last few years. We are always served with such a high degree of professionalism and excellence by everyone around the precinct. This includes the procedural team at the table and the many people who work for them, like the Journals branch, Hansard, translation and security. It takes a lot to allow the chamber to function and allow members of Parliament to represent their constituents and go about doing the people's work on their behalf. I would like to add a special thanks to all the staff who work for members of Parliament. Our names and faces go on television, on campaign signs and on ballots, but we have a lot of people behind us helping us do our jobs. They are often the unsung heroes who are here late at night going through briefing materials and Auditor General reports, or translating things into one of the two official languages. I know they will welcome the early adjournment this week and take a little time to recuperate. This has been a fairly lengthy stretch that is coming to a close now. I would also like to thank my counterparts from the other parties. This is my second time serving as House leader for my party and the second time I have worked with the hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby. It is my first time working with the hon. member for La Prairie. Regardless of our party in the House, we all have the same motivation. Regardless of which party members were elected as and regardless of our political philosophies, I have gotten to know over the years that members of Parliament are all motivated by the same thing. Even though we may disagree, and I may feel that some of my colleagues are misguided in their approaches, their motivation is to do what is right by their constituents and what is good for the country. This time of the season, it is a good opportunity for us to reflect on that and on the common bonds of humanity we all share. Tragically, in the wake of a colleague's passing, and as we celebrate the birth of Christ and all the hope that brings to the world, it is a constant reminder that our time on this planet is short, so we should appreciate the best of each other. As we enter into the Christmas break, we will all be attending events and visiting all corners of our constituencies. I hope it is a safe and happy holiday season. I know there will be a lot of travel back and forth. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas break and a very happy new year, and we will see everyone back here in January.
525 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border