Madam Speaker, citizenship is really a vital part of who we are, our identity as a person. When people go abroad and somebody asks them where they come from, they say that they are from Canada, that they are Canadian. This is a visceral kind of reaction. To be a citizen of Canada means that we have come from all corners of the world and that together we have built one of the most prosperous nations in the world. We also have built one of the most inclusive nations in the world. That is what Canada means to me and that is what Canada means to most Canadians.
In the House of Commons on May 12th, 2005. See this statement in context.