Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege for me to pay tribute to Alice Taylor of Ottawa, a longtime friend.
Mrs. Taylor celebrated her 100th birthday last Friday. She is Canada's 1997 Silver Cross mother, the only person ever to have been honoured to represent the motherhood of Canada twice.
Mrs. Taylor is visiting Parliament today and on Monday will be presented by the Speaker with a copy of the page from the Book of Remembrance commemorating the death of her son, Richard, who died following an attack on his tank during the march from Normandy to Falaise.
Mrs. Taylor represents all Canadian mothers who lost loved ones to the war. But she also represents all the homefront heroes who preserved a country of civility and love for our troops to come home to. She also represents a century in which this country moved from colonial status to a proud place on the world stage due in large part to the—