Mr. Speaker, in the aftermath of the second world war a Canadian cabinet minister visited the graves of Canadian soldiers who perished at the battle of Dieppe. Paul Martin Sr. decided then and there that Canadians fully deserved their own unique citizenship.
Today we celebrate the foresight of the father of our Minister of Finance for he was the political father of the Canadian Citizenship Act.
Many new Canadians and members of Parliament, such as myself, were born in other countries and have become citizens of this great country. Canadian citizenship is a sought after prize among people born in other countries where civil rights are limited or non-existent. It formally guarantees freedom of religion, expression and lawful assembly, and freedom from discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnic origin or disability.
It is an honour to rise in this House today to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Citizenship Act.