(Ottawa) – Phil McColeman, Member of Parliament for Brant, today made the following statement in the House of Commons:

Mr. Speaker,

Throughout the 19th century, the fertile land of the Grand River watershed attracted settlers from around the world – spurring farms and settlements across Brant County.

To this day, places like Paris, Glen Morris and St. George are amongst Ontario's most beautiful and inviting rural communities.

A complimentary industry of farm implement manufacturing developed in Brantford; so successful that the city became Canada’s third largest industrial centre by the turn of the century.

Brantford established a farmers’ market in 1848, and it is no surprise that it remains our city’s largest weekly social gathering. The market is a place where people can learn about, and purchase, great local products that reflect the agricultural diversity and ethnic mosaic of our communities.

Thanks to an investment from our Government, and the Brant County Federation of Agriculture’s “Bountiful Brant” campaign - which encourages people to buy fresh, locally produced products - market vendors are reporting that business is up, and, more new customers are visiting.

Mr. Speaker, if you wish to find Ontario’s most delicious fresh food, grown from farms with decades of hard won experience, look no further than Brantford’s Farmers’ Market.