Mr. Speaker, in British Columbia we have just completed multicultural week, a week of immersion into the understanding of other cultures, a week of sharing with people of all backgrounds.
Next week on March 21, British Columbia and the rest of Canada will celebrate International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. On March 21, 1966 in South Africa, a group of people holding a peaceful march were shot at and killed.
March 21 has therefore been designated by the United Nations as International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Next week, all Canadians will celebrate that day with special ceremonies, and people of all cultures will meet again to learn from one another.
Today, despite the visibility of human rights at the international level, too many tragedies occur throughout the world and discrimination continues to exist.
Let us hope that events like International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Multicultural Week will help with the respect of human rights all over the world and bring peace.