Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to honour a fellow Londoner whom I have known since I was four years old. Hank Wong is a veteran who served during World War II. He, along with 12 other Chinese Canadian men, was trained as part of British special operations. Their mission was to go behind enemy lines.
Hank is the last remaining survivor of Operation Oblivion. His story, and that of his fellow Chinese Canadian recruits, is only now being told. Earlier this year, a television documentary film aired their experiences during the war. Even after Canada had stripped away their rights as citizens and essentially left them excluded from much of society, these brave men were still willing to enlist and serve the country that exposed them to racism and marginalized them.
There is now a campaign to have a permanent commemoration for Operation Oblivion at the Canadian War Museum to finally acknowledge their contributions to the war. I truly hope that the heroism and dedication to Canada of Hank Wong and his colleagues will be honoured.