Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, as part of the Canadian delegation for Vatican City, I had the honour and privilege to attend the induction of His Eminence Frank Cardinal Leo into the College of Cardinals, presided by His Holiness Pope Francis at St. Peter's Basilica.
Cardinal Leo is the 18th Canadian to be inducted into the College of Cardinals. Among his many accomplishments and important positions held, I am particularly proud to say that he taught religion at Collège Reine-Marie, located in my riding. A Montreal-born shepherd of Italian descent, he faithfully served the Montreal Catholic community for over a decade before being appointed as Archbishop of Toronto. His elevation to Cardinal is a testament to his years of dedication and leadership in both local and global faith communities. Our delegation, led by the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, played a key role in representing Canada, our communities and all Italian Canadians in this important and historic event.
I send my congratulations to Cardinal Leo.