Mr. Speaker, in September 2015, the world mourned the death of Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old refugee boy found washed up on the shores of Turkey. Alan and his family were driven from their homes, driven to find a safe harbour, driven to discover a life free of war. Alan, his brother, and his mother did not make it to their safe harbour.
Alan's aunt, Tima Kurdi, lives in the Tri-Cities. This month her memoir, Boy on the Beach, is on bookstore shelves. Tima hopes her book will bring a new awareness to the plight of refugees.
I thank Tima for keeping Alan's memory alive. Her book reminds us that Canadians welcome those in need of protection and that our diversity makes Canada better and stronger.