Mr. Speaker, “Thank you from the whole of my heart for making this dream come true. You have made hearts beat passionately to reunite in a country called Canada under the protective wing of a maple leaf”. So spoke Ralitza Houbanova from Bulgaria who, along with 350 youths from all over the world, attended the first ever World Parliament of Children in Paris last October. During that parliament the final draft of the youth manifesto for the 21st century was adopted and will be communicated to the United Nations this year.
Thanks to a grant from Canadian Heritage, the forum for young Canadians has brought 22 students and teachers from 11 countries to Canada to join the two Canadian students who represented Canada.
The world delegation of students will present the youth manifesto for the 21st century in the Senate chamber on Monday morning, hosted by the speakers of the Senate and the House, the Deputy Prime Minister and the UNESCO representative for Canada. I encourage all to attend.