Madam Speaker, I am pleased to announced that A&E network recently awarded $2,500 to Ms. Leah Mooney, an 18-year-old grade 12 student from Orléans.
Ms. Mooney's essay, which was chosen first from more than 1,800 submissions, won because it was “the most persuasive, creative and relevant essay on the individual who made the biggest impact on Canadian society in 2004”. For her, this person had to be Captain Americo Rodriguez, the doctor who brought 10-year-old Afghani Djamshid Popal to Canada for a life-saving heart operation.
Leah's school, Colonel By Secondary School, will also benefit. Its English department will receive a $1,000 prize along with a television, a DVD player and a collection of A&E DVDs. On behalf of the Ottawa--Orléans community, congratulations Leah.