Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour Gordon Hicks, a resident of Uxbridge, Ontario, who is being appointed as a member of the Order of Canada.
Gord and his family founded Cam's Kids, a foundation focused on ensuring that no child's mental health issues restrict their potential. The foundation is named after Gordon's son, Cameron, who struggled with anxiety and tragically passed away during his first year at the University of Ottawa.
What makes Gord so inspiring is his ability to translate the pain of losing his son into meaningful work to help prevent other families from suffering the same loss. When speaking to Gord, he explained that the pain of losing a loved one never fades, yet he and his family wanted to turn Cam's tragedy into helping other young people. They felt if they could help save even one person, then they would make a real difference in honour of Cam.
Cam's Kids has ambassadors in universities and colleges across the country, and has supported countless young people, which is a powerful legacy in Cam's honour. We thank Gord and the Hicks family for the betterment of our community and our country, and wish him congratulations.