Mr. Speaker, yesterday we honoured Armenia Independence Day.
Today, I stand before the House representing the good people of Milton East—Halton Hills South to recall a pivotal moment in Canadian history: the arrival of the so-named Georgetown boys to my riding in the 1920s. They were a group of over 100 orphaned Armenian children rescued from the Armenian genocide and brought to Cedarvale Farm in Georgetown. Their story is often called “Canada's noble experiment”. At that time, admitting non-British orphans was unprecedented. As such, this effort was the first humanitarian resettlement of its kind in Canadian history, setting a precedent for Canadian compassion in guiding policy.
On this day, I rise to honour not only the courage of those orphaned boys but also the values we declared then: that Canada can act as a force of hope in the world. Let us recommit ourselves to those values and ensure that the noble experiment begun in Georgetown a century ago continues in our policies, in every effort to welcome and in every act of compassion.