Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and legacy of a great Canadian, Mr. Gaetano Gagliano.
Mr. Gagliano was an entrepreneur, a visionary, and a person of deep faith. His story is one of 70 years of marriage to Giuseppina, resulting in 10 children and 51 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He uniquely was a member of the Order of Canada in his adopted country and received the highest honour as a citizen of his birth country of Italy.
After World War II, a young Gaetano emigrated from Italy. He set up shop in the basement of his rented home in 1956 where he founded a printing shop named after Canada's patron saint. Today, St. Joseph Communications is Canada's largest private communications company.
Gaetano, at the remarkable age of 86, founded Salt and Light media and TV, Canada's first Catholic television network, now supported by Pope Francis.
Gaetano lived his entire life with God squarely in the centre of it and was an example to many.