Mr. Speaker, last April 15 to 19 in New York, the National Model United Nations was held; this UN simulation was attended by 3,200 student delegates from the United States and 15 other countries.
Canada was well represented by 325 energetic students. I had the opportunity, as guest speaker, to address the delegates at the NMUN's opening session, as well as the previous evening at a friendly reception hosted by Canada's Ambassador to the UN, Paul Heinbecker.
This year, of the 15 participating Canadian educational institutions, three really stood out, winning NMUN awards in recognition of their delegates' talents and contribution to the debates. They are the Université de Montréal and the University of Victoria, which each received an honourable mention, and the Collège André-Grasset in Montreal, which received the highly coveted distinguished delegation award.
I want to congratulate all our young people who do their country proud and who are working hard to have a positive influence on the world of tomorrow.