Marie-Gabrielle Ménard

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my very determined colleague, who is proud to serve in a government that includes 71 female members. These women are determined—I use this word for want of a slightly stronger one—to continue to advance gender equality. Now that Parliament is back, I am of course going to call on all members of Parliament to work on this issue. To date, we have invested nearly $1 billion to advance this issue. What would help most is to support social programs that primarily benefit—

Mr. Speaker, I first want to welcome all of my colleagues back to the House. The Minister of Small Business and I spent the summer holding consultations with a strong focus on women entrepreneurship. What we can say is that the strategy to grow our economy cannot succeed without the full participation of women. To date, the women entrepreneurship strategy has helped 600,000 women in Canada. That strategy is working, and we will continue to build on it.

Mr. Speaker, believe me, there are many reasons to go to Hochelaga—Rosemont‑Est this summer. There are balcony concerts. There is the one-of-a-kind mobility scooter race—and, no, I am not making that up. There is also “Hochlag”, an outdoor wrestling event, where wrestling is a tradition that endures. Today, I especially want to invite everyone to join in the celebrations of an iconic structure, not only for eastern Montreal, but also for Canada. I am referring to our magnificent Olympic Stadium, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer. In 1976, Montrealers, Canadians and the world discovered this engineering feat, designed by Roger Taillibert, during the Montreal Olympic Games. Over the summer, visitors will enjoy tours, exhibits and a large commemorative show. The cherry on top is that, yes, the queen of the Montreal Games herself has confirmed she will be attending. I look forward to seeing our beloved Nadia soon. I will be holding a perfect score card of 10 when I get to greet her.

Mr. Speaker, I do not know where you were last Friday, but I was at the Cercle de fermières Hochelaga‑Maisonneuve. I wish everyone could share that experience. In fact, what I heard the most about was the Canada groceries and essentials benefit. The Cercle de fermières Hochelaga‑Maisonneuve is made up of dozens and dozens of women, including many seniors, most of whom are in a somewhat more vulnerable situation. They told me that it was a real help. That is what Canadians expect right now. These are concrete measures.

Mr. Speaker, Hochelaga has grown around a core value: solidarity. In this regard, the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve community kitchen, or CCHM, which works to promote food security and social and occupational integration, is a shining example of the group's strength. The CCHM is celebrating its 40th anniversary. I know the people at this organization. They have probably baked the cake themselves. For four decades, this organization has been bringing together, feeding, empowering and training thousands of people by focusing on dignity, confidence and kindness. For the past 10 years, the food hub on Hochelaga Street has been under the direction of Benoist de Peyrelongue, an innovative, ambitious and persuasive man with boundless energy and a big heart, who is here with us today. This project brings together urban agriculture, seedling greenhouses and a professional kitchen for food processing. I wish this wonderful organization a happy anniversary. I will close with a word of warning: the CCHM's pickled carrots can be highly addictive.