Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to rise in the House today to pay homage to a great Canadian, Peter Munk. Yesterday, we learned of his passing at the age of 90.
Peter Munk founded one of the world's largest gold producers, Barrick Gold Corporation, and Mr. Munk became the epitome of the Canadian dream. He was born in Budapest and escaped Hungary with his family in 1944, when the Nazis invaded. He arrived in Canada with only a suitcase and, among other things, sold Christmas trees to help support himself as a student.
One of his most famous quotes was, “You can create wealth. You are entitled to the joy of this creation. But ultimately society makes it possible, and this wealth should flow back to society.” He lived by that philosophy and donated over $300 million to worthy causes and institutions over his lifetime.
We extend our thoughts and prayers to his wife Melanie, their children, and grandchildren.
He set the “gold standard” for the rest of us and will be sorely missed.