Mr. Speaker, Sunday evening, a young man callously murdered six men from my region in a cowardly manner.
Khaled Belkacemi, Azzedine Soufiane, Aboubaker Thabti, Abdelkrim Hassane, Mamadou Tanou Barry, and Ibrahima Barry were husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons. They were good, honest men.
Today, I want to offer my sympathy and prayers to the families and to Quebec City's Muslim community as a whole. I grew up with them and they helped me thrive in Sainte-Ursule and Saint-Benoît, as part of the Caravelles, at Rochebelle and throughout my life.
Today, I also want to ask their forgiveness, forgiveness for watching while, over the past few years, they were ostracized and stigmatized, while fear, mistrust, and hatred took root in the hearts of my fellow human beings. I did my best to do something about it, but I ask their forgiveness for not doing enough. Words have consequences, but so does silence.
Never again. Sainte-Foy is and always will be your home.
Now, I sincerely hope that you will find in your hearts the strength to do what so many people have refused to do and to see the good that still manages to shine through the darkness that is threatening to overtake our society.
Assalaam alaykum.