Mr. Speaker, today Canada's honorary citizen, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, will be travelling from Calgary to Montreal where thousands of Canadians will hear his message of compassion and peace.
He began his visit to Canada at the Vancouver Peace symposium where he was welcomed by many supporters and friends.
His talks and teachings remind us that there are so many in the world who remain committed to achieving peace through dialogue rather than conflict. We are also reminded of the grim situation in Tibet where millions of Tibetans are denied even the most basic human rights.
I am honoured to welcome His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Canada. I wish to urge the government to do all it can to welcome and support the efforts of our honorary citizen so that one day he may return freely to his place of birth, an occupied homeland he has not seen in more than 50 years.