Mr. Speaker, there are moments in the life of a Parliament when colleagues from all parties come together in common cause: to remember and to be reminded, to inspire and be inspired.
Such a moment occurred this week, when MPs commemorated the 125th anniversary of the birth of Portuguese diplomat Aristides de Sousa Mendes, and the 40th anniversary of his saving 30,000 people—12,000 of them Jews—with his visas for life in 1940, reminding us of the Talmudic/Koranic adage that whoever saves a single life, it is as if he or she has saved an entire universe.
This singular heroism of de Sousa Mendes, whose namesake grandson, Louis Philippe Mendes, is a resident of my constituency of Mount Royal, ennobles us all. He never received the honour he deserved in his life. May his memory serve as a blessing for us all.