Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support the motion of my colleague, the hon. member for Don Valley North, to designate the second Sunday in September grandparents day.
I have spoken out on the significance of grandparents in the House on a number of occasions. Grandparents play an irreplaceable role in the life of Canadian families. They form a stable link in a rapidly changing world. Where there is fragmentation because of divorce or separation they bring continuity. Today many families are headed by single parents and where there are two parents they are often found both working outside the home.
The significance and value of grandparents have increased beyond belief. I do not hold grandparents to be glorified babysitters but rather as parents' surrogates who bring love, a continuance of generational values and a sense of the child's worth to the integrity of the family.
I speak from personal knowledge and with emotion about the importance of grandparents because I was brought up by a grandparent. My parents both worked outside the home for most of my life with them. They needed to for economic reasons. It was my grandmother who nurtured me, gave me a sense of worth and moulded in many ways the course my life was to take.
My grandmother was my role model, my mentor and my confidant. As a strong feminist woman long before the term was invented, she taught me to be bold and confident, to stand up for my beliefs, to change things when I did not like them, to be an active participant in changing my society and my world.
Mr. Speaker, I would be so bold as to say I stand before you today because of my grandmother. Yet I have never been able to
celebrate her contribution to my life. We all celebrate Mother's Day, Father's Day, Remembrance Day. We have dedicated weeks to promote breast cancer awareness, AIDS, violence against women, but we have never celebrated the worth of our grandparents to the family, to society and to future generations.
Grandparents have enriched our lives by their presence. They represent the past, our history to us in their stories, in their lifestyles and in their values. Through them we gain a sense of the continuity of humankind and through us they live forever.
I once remarked that if grandparents did not exist in nature we would have invented them because they are the embodiment of the concept of family. Because of the reverence and love I feel for my grandmother I cannot wait to be a grandparent so I can completely emulate her as my role model. Unfortunately my sons do not seem willing to comply at this time.
You do not need children of your own to be a grandparent. In British Columbia there is a volunteer grandparent's association whose members adopt, figuratively speaking, children who are not fortunate enough to know or who do not have a biological grandparent close at hand. As we all know, in this vast land of ours families can live far away from each other and many families do not have an extended family or a grandparent close by. My children did not. These volunteer grandparents bridge that gap and bring to hundreds of B.C. children the warmth and experience of having a grandparent.
Grandparents bring a sense of trust. They help us to feel safe because no matter what happens they are our refuge against often cranky parents.
In many cultures grandparents are historians. In others they are the heads of households. They bring wisdom and warmth, joy and stability, and the list of their worth goes on and on.
I will finish today by quoting the words of one young constituent who has expressed so simply the importance of her grandmother:
The first day I was brought into this world I met my grandmother. I have come to know her very well. These past 17 years she has been there for me almost as much as my parents. My grandmother is a very special part of my life. She was the one who took care of me when I was sick or cheered me up when I was down. I get to see her almost once a week.
My grandmother is the most interesting lady I know. She is an artist, a chef and a seamstress. This lady has a good eye for fashion and style and she always knows just what to buy me. I heard all grandmothers are good cooks but my grandmother is one of the finest. She supplies the birthday dinners and cakes for the whole family. No matter how much her grandchildren whine and complain she always keeps her cool and has great patience with us all. I am extremely lucky to have such a wonderful grandmother. Not everyone is so fortunate.
She is the type of lady who is always doing special things for you and is always trying to please. My grandmother means the world to me. I hope she remains with me for many years to come.
By passing this bill we will make that wish come true.