Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate William Rompré, who, beginning in August 2014, will be participating in the Rotary Club ESSEX exchange program. He will spend a year living on the opposite side of the continent, in Chile.
Through this exchange program, high school students can continue their education while learning more about the world. Under the supervision of local club members, young people live with a local family so they can improve their language skills and their ability to adapt to new environments.
What our country needs most is young people who are willing to go and explore other countries. Curiosity is what will help us make the most of globalization, and having a healthy degree of openness towards others will help overcome the geographic isolation that happens to exist in Canada.
I wish him all the best for his year in Chile. I hope it will be filled with great experiences. To be honest, I envy him a little. As the song says, “I want to go to Valparaíso”, but I have to stay and combat electoral reform.
[Member spoke in Spanish]
William, que tengas suerte y que disfrute.