Mr. Speaker, Canada is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Black History Month this year with the theme “The Future is Now”, highlighting the transformative work of Black communities across Canada.
In Scarborough North, Tropicana Community Services has been at the forefront of building inclusion for the past 40 years by pioneering culturally responsive programming. The seeds for Tropicana were sown in 1980 when Jamaican-born Robert Brown saw a need to support disadvantaged youth and their families, specifically those in the Caribbean and Black communities.
Today, the multi-service agency remains focused on delivering inclusive services in such areas as counselling, education, employment, personal development and settlement. Most recently, Tropicana is helping to administer our government's supporting Black Canadian communities initiative, an investment of $25 million over five years to help organizations better serve Black Canadians.
I congratulate Tropicana on an incredible 40 years. I wish it many more decades of success.
I applaud and thank Tropicana.