Mr. Speaker, the City of Saskatoon proclaimed June 10 to 17 as Filipino-Canadian Week. Do not get me wrong, I am glad I am here in Ottawa, but I wish I could have joined the Filipino-Canadian community of Saskatoon at the city hall flag-raising ceremony commemorating the independence of the Philippines.
My riding of Saskatoon West is home to over 7,000 Filipino Canadians, a growing community of vibrant and dynamic Filipinos and Filipinas.
We are proud to honour the many contributions of Filipino Canadians in Saskatoon. They are our neighbours, our friends, our colleagues, and our teammates. We are all richer for having them in our midst.
I would especially like to thank the Filipino-Canadian Association of Saskatoon for promoting Filipino heritage for all of us to enjoy.
Please join me in congratulating the nominees for this year's most outstanding Pinoy of the Year: Hilbert Macadaeg, Mike San Miguel, and Vanessa Spencer.
To all our Filipino-Canadian friends in Saskatoon, salamat