Montfort Hospital investment to help military patients

On March 1, I had the privilege of hosting my 10th International Women’s Day breakfast at the Rendez-Vous des aînés francophones d’Ottawa (RAFO), where 120 women from all walks of life gathered

Moreover, I presented 38 amazing individuals with the Orléans Leading Women and Young Girls Recognition 2024 Award for their community engagement. Congratulations once again! Thanks to everyone who took the time to nominate this year’s recipients.

During March, the Month of Francophonie, we recognize the cultural and linguistic contributions made by our Francophone communities in Orléans, Canada, and across the world, with March 20 marking International Francophonie Day. I had the pleasure of attending diverse events, such as the Gala de la Francophonie held on March 15, where local residents Nicole and Louis Patry were recognized with the “Prix Champlain Fondateur de la Francophonie 2024” for their 40 years of engagement in promoting the French language as well as for creating our local French paper, L’Orléanais, published monthly within the Orléans Star. Congratulations!

The École secondaire publique Gisèle Lalonde also reached a milestone in celebrating 20 years of French education in our community on March 22.

On March 14, I joined the amazing management team at Walmart Innes for their grand re-opening. It was great to see the new layout and improvements to the store. It was also an opportunity to recognize their contribution to our local economy and their support for thousands of employees and their families. Thank you for being a community leader.

I hope everyone had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day! I was delighted to join our local Royal Canadian Legion for their St. Patrick lunch on March 17.

On March 20, as Parlia-mentary Secretary of National Defence, I joined Minister Bill Blair to announce a $100 million extension of our partnership with Montfort Hospital to ensure the Canadian Armed Forces receive quality healthcare, solidifying our commitment until 2032.

The following day, on March 21, I had the honour to rise in the house to present Bill C-66, which will reaffirm the government’s dedication to fostering a more inclusive, respectful, and safe workplace for our military to thrive.

I especially want to thank the 16 members of my Youth Council 2023-2024 for their leadership and insightful contributions this past year. For the interested youth aged from 15 to 25 years old, we will be opening the application process in the coming weeks for the cohort 2024–2025. Stay tuned!

Happy Easter to everyone celebrating and have a wonderful long weekend with your family and friends!