Mr. Speaker, last week I had the pleasure of hosting a round table in my riding of Thornhill which was attended by the hon. Minister of State for Multiculturalism.
The event was a great opportunity for communities across Thornhill to come together and share their experiences in promoting cross-cultural understanding. It was extremely insightful and the minister welcomed the ideas that were put forward.
Yesterday marked the annual International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In Ottawa this included the announcement of Canada's groundbreaking plan, “A Canada for All: Canada's Action Plan against Racism”. The action plan will reinforce the government's ongoing commitment to eliminate racism.
The objectives of the plan are to strengthen social cohesion, further Canada's human rights framework and demonstrate federal leadership in the fight against racism and hate motivated crime. Canada must continue to promote such anti-racism initiatives, which empower our society to mobilize across our country and rise up and take a stand against racism.