Mr. Speaker, three municipalities in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia have proclaimed May 3 to 9, Neighbourhood House Week.
It gives me great pleasure to draw to the attention of the House to the multi-faceted contributions of these outstanding organizations to our communities and our country.
The rich history of the neighbourhood house movement in metro Vancouver dates back to 1894, when the precursor of the Alexandra Neighbourhood House, a children's orphanage, opened on Pine Street. Today, we have 14 neighbourhood houses that serve more than 100,000 people every year. These treasures provide a broad array of services that bring every part of our community together. They feed the homeless, teach our youth, and nurture our citizens.
From social, cultural and recreational programs to helping individuals, families and new Canadians develop and connect, neighbourhood houses are welcoming homes for everyone in our community.
In Vancouver Kingsway, we are blessed with three outstanding neighbourhood houses: Cedar Cottage, Collingwood and Little Mountain. On behalf of the Parliament of Canada, we thank them and all neighbourhood houses for their contributions to our nation.