Mr. Speaker, as the member of Parliament for Welland, which includes Brock University, I am pleased to offer my sincere congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of Brock's 50th anniversary.
From its humble beginnings in 1964 in the basement of St. Paul Street United Church, Brock has stood as a testament to the hard work and unrelenting spirit of the people of Niagara.
It was their efforts and the weekly payroll deductions of workers that enabled Brock to establish itself in those early years. As a Brock alumnus, I take great pride in having attended a university with such a rich community tradition. I want to thank not only those faculty members who have taught there for 50 years, but more importantly, all of those whose dream it was to have a university in their local community where their kids could get a post-secondary education.
As my father once said to his five children, “If I'm gonna pay, one of you is gonna go.”
For the faculty and students, both past and present, I hope they take the opportunity to reflect on the many achievements of our university and look forward to the great many that will come in the future.