Mr. Speaker, last week I participated in three events welcoming Syrian refugees to Canada.
The first was to recognize the efforts of the residents of Markham-Lawrence community to raise funds for two families and their accommodations. The second was to participate in a fundraiser for the Guildwood Refugee Action Committee, where we heard the harrowing tale of Siham Abu Sitta and her two children fleeing from Syria. The third was at the home of my daughter Sarah, who along with her husband Phil, and their team, welcomed a Syrian family with a tasty Middle Eastern Halal meal.
As we stood around the kitchen eating and conversing through Google translate, I was reminded of that great Biblical passage:
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me...
Is it not wonderful how our nation can be a light in this world of darkness?