Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the people of Canada will be marking the fifth National Day of the Child.
This is an opportunity for us all to focus on the important place children hold in our society. It is our responsibility as members of Parliament, and in a number of cases also as parents and grandparents, to ensure that each of our children in Canada does not live in poverty, die of hunger, fall victim to sexual abuse, or be exploited for the purpose of pornography or prostitution.
The National Crime Prevention Council which our government established during its first mandate has provided us with blueprints for developing and implementing prevention strategies that invest in children and our youth.
I would like to draw particular attention to the exceptional work done by the volunteers and administrators of the NGOs in my riding of Ahuntsic, among them Alternatives Jeunesse, Maison Buissonière, and the Centre Mariebourg. Speaking on behalf of all the children of Ahuntsic, my congratulations to them all.
We have a responsibility as parliamentarians to leave this world a little better. We do not own this world, we are only its keepers for future generations.