Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about a region that is often overlooked in national conversation, but is, in truth, central to the future of Ontario and Canada. The history of the Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk riding, one of the largest in Canada, is a story of resilience, hard work and vibrant cultural heritage forged by people who built not just industries but lives, families and futures in the north.
The riding is not simply a geographic expanse in northern Ontario. It is a living and working landscape that tells the story of Canada's development. It is its natural wealth, linguistic diversity, an enduring relationship with its resources. This is not a region on the margins. It is a region that has long delivered for the country and stands ready to lead again.
The riding of Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk is a land of endurance, pride, and solidarity. It has been shaped by generations of workers and families from the north, who have built not just industries, but also strong communities and a sustainable future for their children. It is a unique region where languages, traditions, and identities come together every day.
Here, French is not a secondary language, but rather a living language, a working language, and a language of the heart. Our bilingualism is an integral part of our daily lives, our economy, and our future. It must be protected and recognized as a strength for our region, for Ontario, and for Canada. Our riding has never been relegated to the background. For decades, it was central to the country's economy, and it will continue to play a vital role in the future.
Our modest population of approximately 95,000 people is diverse and multinational. For 125 years, our people have lived and worked, producing astounding economic outputs that I will outline shortly. First, it is important to appreciate some of the history of this great riding.
Visionaries defined corridors into our region, followed by the main building project we know today as the Canadian National Railway, joined by the Ontario Northland railway, with connections to the Canadian Pacific Railway via the Algoma Central Railway. In building this infrastructure, our forebears discovered the sheer vastness of the riding, stretching from the Atlantic to the Arctic watershed, blessed with healthy boreal forest. Soon it became clear that the riding's five major river basins could thunderously generate over four gigawatts of sustainable hydroelectric power. Approximately 850 megawatts of that power has supported forestry, mining, industry and local communities. Most importantly, these basins continue to provide renewable, pollution-free energy.
As the railroads advanced, farms and communities developed along the lines, supplying and servicing an industrious population. Prospectors followed, discovering an extraordinary wealth of minerals. Three major paper mills supplied U.S. markets, including The New York Times, with newsprint, and even America's first kleenex, which was produced in Kapuskasing.
A short time later, with the government's visionary support, the Trans-Canada Highway project extended this infrastructure across the riding. Although launched in the 1950s, this national construction project remains to be completed and modernized to allow a smoother and safer flow of traffic.
That said, the Trans-Canada Highway corridor, known back home as Highway 11, has already encouraged other innovations to develop along its path, whether in energy transportation, pipelines, communications or supply chain logistics.
These achievements were possible thanks to the guidance of the first nations, the vision of risk-taking entrepreneurs, the dedication of multinational Canadians and the support of responsive governments.
Over the years, our region has hosted more than 50 mines and two of the largest staking rushes in world history, helping to build the Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver stock exchanges. The wealth generated supported major national projects, such as the financing of the construction of the Maple Leaf Gardens, and produced NHL greats who became household names. Indeed, titans of the industry of the day, including the Thomson, Eaton, Bronfman, Massey and Brookfield empires, can trace their fortunes to our region, along with the capital that spurred oil exploration across Canada.
The mining sector alone has been extraordinary. Mines in our riding have produced over 110 million ounces of gold, 215 million ounces of silver, six million tonnes of zinc, four million tonnes of copper, 330,000 tonnes of lead, 50,000 tonnes of nickel and 200,000 tonnes of talc, with an economic value of $580 billion in today's money, and they will continue to produce.
Exploration continues to this day. Current projects have identified over five billion tonnes of nickel, precious metals and critical mineral ore reserves worth over $1 trillion, with a further 12 billion tonnes of reserves under review, positioning our region as a cornerstone for Canada's future manufacturing needs. These developments, with extraction using cutting-edge carbon capture techniques, will contribute to reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide well into the next century.
Our forests have long been properly and sustainably managed, with an average annual harvest of 4.5 million cubic metres from 12 operating sawmills. Modern practices and improved tree species could potentially double this harvest, aligning with Canada's climate goal and growing demand for recyclable products. For example, replacing plastic bags with paper could revive pulp production and put another line of pulp at Kap Paper in Kapuskasing.
Agriculture is also thriving, to the tune of $140 million per year, with grain, hay, livestock and cash crops well established in the great clay belt of northeastern Ontario, with access to transportation infrastructure, which provides enormous opportunities for agribusiness. Indeed, university scholars have said that the great clay belt will become Canada's next agricultural breadbasket.
I hope I have conveyed the scale of the economic treasure box our region represents. However, realizing its full potential requires collaboration with our 11 first nations, by working together on infrastructure, roads, energy and railroads. We can unlock jobs, attract skilled workers and revitalize the 46 communities of the riding.
Let us make Canada's north a beacon of opportunity for all by not forgetting that 95% of our greatest resource is us, Canadians. Our corner of Canada is one of the most linguistically and culturally distinct regions in the country. While the francophone identity runs deep, nearly half the population has knowledge of both official languages. This dual linguistic character is an asset for the future and should be supported by federal policy.
I am excited that these social and economic developments will benefit not only our riding but also every Canadian. I am committed to rising to this challenge for the benefit of my constituents and all of Canada.
