Mr. Speaker, on August 24, an earthquake registering 6.2 on the Richter scale hit the central Italian provinces of The Marches, Lazio, and Abruzzo. My family's origins are in The Marches, and my family and friends were all lucky, but others were not. At last count, 297 people had perished, and many more had been injured or had lost their homes.
Italian Canadians across the country have come together with a variety of initiatives, all through S.O.S. Italia and the Canadian Red Cross.
I invite all members to join the Italian Canadian community in my riding and across greater Montreal for lunch to be held Sunday at Cégep André-Laurendeau.
The tickets cost $30 and all proceeds will go to S.O.S. Italia.
Join us for a plate of the famous pasta all'amatriciana and support our families and friends in Italy.
[Member spoke in Italian as follows:]
Siete tutti benvenuti e grazie per il vostro sostegno.