Mr. Speaker, April is a very significant month for Polish Canadians.
In 1940, over 20,000 innocent Poles were killed in the Katyn forest by the NKVD on the personal orders of Joseph Stalin. Every year in April, we honour the innocent Polish lives that were lost.
We also recall another tragedy in Smolensk in 2010. In a cruel twist of fate, 96 officials of the Polish government were killed in an accidental crash that occurred en route to commemorating the Katyn massacre.
However, for Polonia, April is not only a time of commemoration, it is also a time of celebration when Polish Canadians celebrate Pope John Paul II Day.
The man who is now canonized as Pope Saint John Paul II was not simply a Catholic leader, he was a global leader who spread the values of peace, freedom, and interfaith dialogue. Karol Wojtyla was pivotal to the restoration of independence in Poland and the countries of the former communist bloc.
I ask members to join me in remembering the victims of Katyn as well as the life of Pope Saint John Paul II.
Dziekuje bardzo.