Mr. Speaker, the United Nations recently decided that beginning in 1994, May 15 of each year shall be observed as the International Day of Families.
In spite of the hectic pace of the 1990s, the importance of family must not be taken for granted nor underestimated. It is the family unit which passes on culture and tradition from one generation to another. It is the family which provides the primary source of caring and nurturing for our children. Indeed our future survival depends on the family.
The Canada Committee for the International Year of the Family feels that we must support our families in order to maintain a compassionate, productive and tolerant society.
We must resist the forces that threaten to tear our families apart. Instead we must embrace the family ties that make Canada a strong nation.
This Sunday it is worth reminding ourselves that despite all our differences we have family ties that bind us locally, nationally and globally.