Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate and celebrate Black History Month in Canada, a time when we recall the long march of African Canadians for freedom, the struggle for human dignity and liberty, and the singular contribution and legacy of African Canadians to the building of a plural Canadian identity and a diverse Canadian mosaic.
Included in the thematic character of this Black History Month are the historic and courageous contribution of the No. 2 Construction Battalion of Canada in the building of roads, railways, bridges and defences in the first great war in 1916; the important and inspirational contribution of black athletes to the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Games; and the preservation of African Canadians' enduring contribution through telling the black narrative in museums of black history as part of intergenerational continuity.
In remembering and reaffirming the historic contribution of the black Canadian community in the building of Canada and Canadian identity, we affirm and celebrate the building of a plural Canadian community and culture, one in which, in the words of Martin Luther King, people will be not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.