Mr. Speaker, as we continue to honour the legacies of Black Canadians, “Ours to tell” is the theme encouraging us to look within our own villages to find Black Canadian trailblazers in our ridings and celebrate them.
Many of us know a lot of first, second and third Black Canadians in many fields, but to quote Ben Okri:
There is no exhaustion where there is much
To be hoped for, much to work towards,
And where the dreams and sufferings
Of our ancestors
Have not been realized
Or redeemed.
I know that history is there to be made in the future, and I look forward to the day when we will celebrate the stories of the 20th, 30th, and 50th in their fields.
I welcome and look to our many stakeholders from across the country who are joining us in today's celebration. I thank them for being their ancestors' wildest dreams and for keeping the light in our communities.