Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding Canadian. After the tragic Quebec mosque shooting, Mohamad Fakih offered to cover the costs of the funerals for all six victims, and repairs to the mosque. When asked why, he said, “That's what Islam taught me and that's what Canada taught me.”
Mr. Fakih is known for his generosity. Last year, he started an initiative to hire dozens of Syrian refugees. He also supports groups like the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Cops for Cancer, the Mississauga Food Bank, Sheridan College, Ryerson University, and the True Patriot Love Foundation, just to name a few.
2017 is a special year for Mohamad. In 10 short years he has built one of the fastest-growing Middle Eastern food businesses around the world. Today, Paramount Fine Foods employs hundreds of Canadians and is expanding globally.
I want to congratulate Mohamad, his team at Paramount, and his family: wife Hanan; and, his children Emad, Kareem, and Adam. They represent the best of Canada.