Mr. Speaker, today I want to acknowledge the efforts of the Vietnamese Canadian Community Scholarship Fund.
This grassroots organization awards hard-working Vietnamese Canadian students with scholarships in order to assist them in pursuing a higher level of education.
Last month, I had the privilege of attending its award ceremony where I presented 11 outstanding students with their scholarship awards.
It is non-profit organizations such as this that are critical in helping young Canadians achieve their full potential. When I toured universities last year, students were asking the federal government to assist young Canadians with tuition, jobs and debt relief.
It is therefore incomprehensible why the Conservatives chose to eliminate the youth international scholarship program and why they cut $55 million from the youth employment initiative.
We need to invest in our future leaders, not hold them back.
I hope the House will join with me in recognizing the efforts of the Vietnamese Canadian Community Scholarship Fund and its scholarship recipients for their hard work in enriching our community and our great country.