Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Good afternoon, honourable members. Thank you very much for inviting me to appear at today's committee meeting. I'm certainly delighted to be here.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank MP Tilly O'Neill Gordon for bringing this bill forward in the House of Commons. As well, thank you to Senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen, who tirelessly supported this bill in the Senate. I truly appreciate their support.

Also, a big thanks to today's witnesses: Graham Sheppard, Alexander George, and Kelli Trottier. It's nice that Alexander is with us, because he is a young fiddler, and he hails from Almonte, Ontario. Kelli will be joining us by video conference. I think we will have an opportunity to enjoy both her fiddling and her step-dancing today.

Since introducing Bill S-218, an act respecting national fiddling day, in early April of 2014, I have been overwhelmed by the level of support I have received.

A highlight of this journey was the Senate committee hearing, where we not only heard moving testimony on the importance of the fiddle in our country and how it has touched people's lives, but were also very fortunate to hear some of Canada's finest fiddlers playing a few tunes. As well, we were entertained at that time by Kelli and also by Sherry Johnson with their fiery step-dancing.

I would like to begin by sharing some testimony by renowned fiddler Calvin Vollrath from St. Paul, Alberta, which highlights how the fiddle has truly changed people's lives. Amongst Calvin's many fiddling accomplishments, he is also a fiddle instructor and taught at the first fiddle camp in Canada, held in Emma Lake, Saskatchewan, in 1988.

In 1996, a young teacher from Sherridon, in northern Manitoba, was teaching 24 students in a one-room schoolhouse, in grades 1 to 8, and thought it would be wonderful to teach the fiddle to the students. The teacher didn't own or play a fiddle, but he knew that a lot of the children came from troubled homes and troubled lives, so he set off for the Emma Lake fiddle camp, bought a fiddle along the way, and took the beginner class. He then bought 24 fiddles for his students and taught them how to play, inviting, of course, Calvin and other teachers to instruct them as well.

Through learning to play the fiddle, the children's lives truly started to change, and it wasn't just about the ability to play fiddle music. The teacher would take the students out to play in different community events in the area, and the children learned confidence, self-worth, and social skills.

Other schools started to recognize what was happening at the Frontier School Division in northern Manitoba. They now teach fiddling in all of their schools, to over 5,000 students. Many of these children have gone on to become fiddle performers and instructors throughout Canada. Today, because of teachers like Calvin, as well as the tremendous work being done by hundreds of fiddle associations throughout our country, the fiddle is alive and thriving.

This magnificent instrument, which was introduced to Canada by the Jesuits in the 17th century, has had its ups and downs but still continues to bind our communities together. I am so happy to see young people like Alexander play the fiddle. I truly hope that recognizing a national fiddling day will further grow the popularity of this great instrument.

Honourable members, I envision national fiddling day as an opportunity not only to celebrate the fiddle as an instrument but also to celebrate the fiddling itself; the men and women who bring this music to life; the entertainment; the coming together of family, friends, and community; and the celebration of our unique and distinctive cultures, which find such a melodic expression through the fiddle.

Fiddling represents the preservation and continuity of community. Fiddling is a building block of communities. I believe that an important argument can and should be made for using local music and dance to knit local communities together. I don't have to remind the members of this committee that we live in a rapidly changing world. Technology is changing our world at a dizzying pace, and much of it is for the better, but the homogenizing forces of social media and our ready access to the competing influences of other cultures can also lead to the loss of both individual and community identities. Our unique culture and traditions, so eloquently expressed in the lilt of our accent, the uniqueness of our phrasing, or the distinctiveness of our music, can easily be lost and, once lost, may be difficult to regain.

All across our country, fiddling is an integral part of our expression of who we are and where we have come from. You can find fiddle entertainment almost anywhere, from church basements to legion halls, and from nursing homes to local pubs. Fiddlers and their accompaniment are known to eagerly and unselfishly share their talent with others.

Honourable members, I am convinced that fiddling is the perfect metaphor for Canada. Like Canada, it has deep classical roots but it is strong and confident enough to allow for many regional differences and nuances that give rise to a beautiful harmonic unity. Like Canada, it is a study in contrast. It is modest, yet it is extremely complex; it is accessible in terms of availability and affordability, yet difficult to master, as any player will attest. Like Canada, it embraces and accommodates many different styles and traditions, allowing each to thrive and flourish even while we create an entirely new sound.

Honourable members, I ask you to think about your own experiences. Think about the number of times we come together as a community to celebrate a sporting victory, to welcome soldiers home from war, to mark the birth of our nation, to honour the gifts of our forefathers, and to revel in the reunion of family. On many of these important occasions we turn to fiddlers to help us celebrate.

Today I ask you to join me in celebrating this humble, proud, simple, complex, worldly yet uniquely local instrument and to celebrate the talented fiddlers in whose hands music becomes magic, and to support an act respecting national fiddling day.

I thank you.

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