What a great question.

Let me thank you, John. As an MP, you have done so much to encourage and inspire the rest of us to become fitter, to take care of our health, and to participate in activities that we otherwise would never have thought to participate in. I do want to thank you. You've inspired me personally, and I know you're going to continue this wonderful adventure of fitness.

You care so much, not only about us, but you're now talking about our kids, and it is about our kids. The Year of Sport, in 2015, for me is about our kids, who struggle every day to cope with some of the stresses, but to also remain active and healthy.

I think we're going to see celebrations across the country because of the very special events we are going to welcome in Canada during the 2015 Year of Sport.

When I mentioned the women's world cup, I only have to think about the 14 years that I spent coaching soccer. I'm also a referee for soccer. I played on four teams before becoming a member of Parliament. I miss those days; I miss coaching the kids. I think that kids across this country who are involved in soccer, particularly our young girls, are going to be at those games. They are going to aspire to be like Manitoba's Desiree Scott, and like Christine Sinclair. I think this is an awesome opportunity to further inspire our young people to take care of their health, and of course to get involved in team sport that builds character and builds discipline. That is always very important in their future years.

We also have many other events that will be taking place in 2015. I mentioned some of them. The Pan Am/Parapan American Games are going to be an incredible opportunity for all of Canada, and international communities, to celebrate together the importance of sport.

We have seen how Canadians react when we get together to celebrate sport. We saw it during our Vancouver Olympics. It was incredible to feel that passion. There was a vibe in Canada as we welcomed all of our athletes to Vancouver, and we cheered them on from afar. The same thing is going to happen for the Pan Am/Parapan American Games; the kids are already talking about being able to attend. I'm so proud to be part of a government that has invested $500 million into the Pan Am/Parapan Games. We will be represented. We have a cultural strategy that will allow us to represent our Canadian identity to countries from abroad, and it will be a partnership with the Province of Ontario, and, of course, the municipality, that will forever leave legacies that our future generations will be able to benefit from.

I'm a hockey mom too. The world juniors in ice hockey are coming to Canada, and it's going to be a tremendous opportunity for our hockey dads and moms to once again celebrate a sport that is seen as the ultimate Canadian sport. You can't say the names of the two sports, lacrosse and hockey, without thinking of Canada. For our girls and boys who are playing hockey, the Sidney Crosby and the Hayley Wickenheiser wannabes, this is a perfect opportunity for them to show their talent, and for us to admire them, as we usually do with all of these kinds of events. I think it's going to be a great opportunity.

Shelly Glover

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