Canada was, of course, one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Kosovo. l will never forget that day, February 17, almost 10 years ago now. I saw the old men in the streets with wrinkled faces. Tears were running down their faces. They were holding their children's hands, knowing they would live in peace and a democratic pluralistic society. That's something that will stay with me.
Many Canadians remember the arrival of the refugees and the contributions that refugees are now making to Canada. Lloyd Axworthy, our former foreign minister, was recently in Kosovo. He talked about this as a model in terms of peacekeeping in regions of the world currently undergoing some of the horrors that Kosovo went through. He mentioned how Canada, and Kosovo itself, could potentially help the world today by looking at what happened in Kosovo and at how the international community coming together led to to an independent country, and how this might be used as a model in the future in other countries.