Mr. Speaker, it is my great honour today to rise in the House to pay homage to the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, Canada's 18th prime minister. He has just been awarded the Supreme Companion of Oliver Reginald Tambo, South Africa's highest award given to a foreign national. It is a tribute to Mr. Mulroney's courage, conviction, and leadership in his stand against apartheid and his call for the release of Nelson Mandela.
I am also very proud that his leadership on the world stage is once again being recognized. During my tenure as defence minister and foreign affairs minister, I travelled to Ukraine three times. During my visits, I planned to bring up the fact that Canada, under Brian Mulroney, was the first country to recognize the freedom and independence of Ukraine. On two occasions, the Ukrainian ministers beat me to it and brought the matter up first.
Also, the defence minister of Kuwait made a point of telling me how grateful he was that Canada came to his country's defence, again under Brian Mulroney's leadership.
The award from South Africa is a great honour for Canada's 18th Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney, and I share the pride of all Canadians in celebrating his achievements.