Mr. Speaker, let me join my colleagues in supporting a wonderful piece of legislation. The member for York South—Weston—Etobicoke has done all of us a favour by working with the Senate to present this bill.
I think it is really important to recognize that, in Canada, when it comes to people of Arab heritage, we are probably talking about somewhere in the neighbourhood of just over a million people. In certain areas of Canada, the community has really grown. It has developed in a very strong and tangible way across the nation. I think of communities, such as those in southern Ontario and Edmonton. In the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, as well as Manitoba, there are strong Arab communities. That is why I genuinely appreciate the bill.
My friend and colleague made reference to Albert El Tassi. I have gotten to know Albert El Tassi over the years. He is someone who I always thought would have been a great lieutenant governor for the province of Manitoba. He is just an outstanding Canadian of Arab heritage. He was very happy to share that with me and many others.
Canada is so rich in diversity. We really and truly are. When I talk about the Arab community or other communities, I talk about how Canada is in a better position than virtually any other country in the world because of our diversity.
I think about how we could ultimately move forward. Although I disagree with how the United States handles multiculturalism, if I can put it that way. I am so proud of the way we deal with it. That is why, when I look at the celebration of a heritage month, I see a lot of good in that. It would provide opportunities for individuals from the Arab community, or of Arab heritage, who live in Canada and call Canada home today to celebrate a part of their identity, their ancestors and so forth. That is one way of looking at it.
There is also, I would suggest, even a bigger way of looking at a heritage month as an educational tool. Back in the late eighties and early nineties, I used to be quite involved in tourism in the province of Manitoba, as well as immigration and so forth. I saw the value of education when it came to combatting racism. The real value of education is there. It is tangible and real.
Thinking of the education taking place in our classrooms, if we were to pass this legislation, every April, every school in the country would have an opportunity to recognize Arab heritage month and do something with that. Whenever there is interest from someone who is on a parent council, a teacher, a child from Lebanon or their parents who were born in Lebanon and immigrated to Canada recently, or someone who has been here for generations, we could recognize how the people of Arab heritage could share their experiences and help educate others by providing a program, a celebration or whatever it might be in the school environment. I think that is good for all of us.
We also see events that could be planned in the workforce. There are many large companies with a workforce that appreciates the diversity that Canada has to offer. We have heard about numerous members, such as athletes, health care professionals and entrepreneurs. In every aspect of our society that we can name, we can find prominent Canadians of Arab heritage.
I would suggest that, at the end of the day, we all benefit, whether it is in a work environment, a community environment such as a community centre, or in our classrooms. When we have the opportunity to enhance knowledge and celebrate our heritage, I see that as a very positive thing.
Canada's heritage is evolving every day, and what gives us our strength is that we recognize first nations, indigenous people in general, people from France, people from England and people from all around the world. That is what ultimately creates and provides us with a sense of identity, and that identity is rooted in who we are as a nation and the values we have.
When I think of Canadian values, I think of things like human rights, whether it is recognizing what we need to improve here in Canada or with respect to human rights abroad. Because of our diversity, I would ultimately argue that we are in a great position to be able to lead the world, or be one of the leaders in the world, at the very least, with respect to providing and promoting things like peace, human rights and even things like trade.
The Prime Minister has travelled to the Middle East and has said that we want more trade. We have a natural asset in Winnipeg. Whether it is the introducer of the legislation's talking about connections on the continent of Africa, members who have strong connections in the Middle East, or the business leaders and entrepreneurs I referenced, we are using our diversity to enhance peace missions, trade missions and goodwill, and are providing a contribution to the bigger picture.
In Winnipeg we are blessed in the sense that, every summer, we have two weeks of Folklorama, a way we can celebrate the world by attending the many different pavilions at the festival. If members want to get an appreciation of our diversity, I would suggest that during the summer months they might consider coming to the city of Winnipeg to really get that world exposure and see just how diverse and wonderful Canada is.
There are a number of issues we have to overcome as a nation, and some of them are very sensitive. The member who spoke before me talked about Sikh Heritage Month. We, as a legislature, have deemed it in Canada's best interest to recognize certain days, weeks and, in cases like this, months, to be able to celebrate, and I would always add the word “educate”, as a way to deal with some of those sensitive issues. Whether we like it or not, there is racism out there. There are some aspects we need to work on with respect to the promotion of tolerance.
I have spoken about Sikh Heritage Month and about Filipino Heritage Month. I know that other members have brought other communities forward to talk about the importance of celebration. I believe in all those celebrations and in recognizing what people have to offer.
Where I kind of disagree with one of the members opposite is that it is okay for people to say they are a Canadian of Arab heritage. That does not offend me at all, just like it does not offend me when people say they are Canadians of Filipino or Indian heritage, whatever it might be. Having that sense of pride enables us to build on our diversity and education. This is something that, I believe, takes place when we have things like heritage month celebrations.
What I have noticed is that whenever we have motions or legislation of this nature, we always see substantial support from all sides of the House. That says a great deal about the type of society we have. I suspect that the member for York South—Weston—Etobicoke will be pleased when we see this hopefully pass with unanimous consent, as it did in the Senate.