Mr. Speaker, from Diefenbaker to Clark and Mulroney, Canadian governments stood with the people of South Africa, especially Nelson Mandela, in the fight against apartheid. Mr. Chrétien made him an honorary citizen of Canada.
In his final days, Mandela expressed just one regret, that he had not won the battle against HIV/AIDS, which claimed the life of his own son.
As a fitting memorial to this global icon, will the Canadian government establish an ever more robust initiative in Mandela's name to battle the scourge of AIDS in Africa, just as Canadians helped Mandela battle apartheid?