Mr. Speaker, through a project called "Cher ami", 5,000 children in my riding of Mississauga West have written in French to the children of the province of Quebec in a gesture of friendship. They want to show that French is spoken all over Canada and that there is no such thing as "English Canada".
I will read today a few excerpts from the children's letters. From six-year-old Diane:
"Hello, my name is Diane. I am six years old. I like speaking French. I love Canada and Quebec."
From a grade eight student at St. Rose de Lima School:
"Dear friend, I love Canada, because I love the winter and the summer. I love Canada, because it is a multicultural country. It is important to have friends in Quebec, because that gives us a chance to learn about another culture".
If children can understand that fundamentally we belong together, so should we. Several hundred thousand people demonstrating in Montreal today also agree.
Mr. Speaker, I will respect your wishes and not lift this box of a thousand letters on to my desk.