Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my constituents of Scarborough Centre, I wish to extend congratulations to the city of Scarborough on the occasion of its 200th birthday.
As residents of Scarborough, we are very proud of our heritage and our city. Scarborough's roots date back to the late 1700s. In 1793 Elizabeth Simcoe, wife of the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, named Scarborough after the town of the same name in England. Six years later in 1799, David and Mary Thomson became the first European settlers in Scarborough. Today in 1996, we are a diverse and dynamic community of more than half a million people.
Bicentennial celebrations have been under way in Scarborough since January and will continue through to December. In fact, June 10 to June 16 has officially been declared Scarborough Week.
The city of Scarborough has made an invaluable contribution to the social, economic, political and cultural development of our country. Today Scarborough is the sum of its citizens and the fruits of a rich history spanning 200 years.