Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the West Island Women's Centre, a non-profit organization in my riding whose countless volunteers have worked tirelessly since 1975 to improve the quality of life of women living in the West Island of Montreal.
Each year the centre supports hundreds of women through courses, seminars, fitness training, wellness clinics, support groups and special events. The centre acts as a resource for mothers with young children, women with part time or full time jobs outside the home, seniors, and women in financial difficulty. The centre also provides free day care for women participating in its many day classes.
The West Island Women's Centre has greatly expanded and changed over the past 30 years, but it has always remained true to its fundamental and intrinsically Canadian values: everyone deserves to be treated with respect and have equal access to essential programs.
One of the keys of the centre's success is that every woman who is a member is also a volunteer. The organization is therefore predicated on the principle that communities are strongest when each of us gives something back.