Mr. Speaker, on October 18 of each year, Canadians celebrate Persons Day. This day marks the pivotal moment in 1929 when the five Canadian trailblazers, the Famous Five, fought for women to be legally recognized as persons under our Constitution.
Each year the Governor General recognizes Canadians for their outstanding contributions to equality for women and girls. Today, six phenomenal Canadian women received the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case for 2017: Betsy Bury, Saskatoon; Micheline Dumont, Sherbrooke; Dr. Ramona Lumpkin, Halifax; Elizabeth Sheehy, Ottawa; Linda Slanina, Kitimat; and Melissa Sariffodeen, this year's youth recipient, who is from Toronto.
This year's recipients have made their mark and we salute them for helping to build a more equal and inclusive country.