Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I just want to say that the speech by my colleague, the member for Calgary Heritage, was so wonderful and well informed. My words tonight will not meet that threshold.
What I am here to talk about is shawarma. My first introduction to Arab culture was at Mr. Falafel. It is on 10th Avenue near my old university, the University of British Columbia. I was a poor student, and I probably had enough money to eat out once a week. When I went there and got that big, juicy shawarma sandwich, it was a highlight of my week. I still love eating it. In fact I went back just a few weeks ago to visit some entrepreneurs at UBC, and I stopped by Mr. Falafel. They have been in business for 26 years now. I love that restaurant. It speaks to what many Arabs do when they come to Canada: They start small businesses. They, disproportionately, start small businesses, and they make a positive impact in Canada's economy.
Another shawarma place I have been frequenting since my university days is Shawarma King. It is right up the road on Bank Street. In fact, my buddy Mo has been serving me shawarma there since about 2008, when I moved to Ottawa to do my master's degree at Carleton University. I eat there probably once a week, even to this day. It is nice going to Shawarma King, a long-established shawarma joint in Ottawa, after a long day on Parliament Hill, to talk to my buddy Mo. The food is just incredible: the eggplant, the cauliflower, the mixed beef and chicken, the tahini sauce on top and the tabbouleh salad. I love this food. I think it is the greatest food in the world.
Another place is Falafel King on Denman Street in Vancouver. It serves the best carrot soup I have had in my entire life. Whenever I go to English Bay, I have to stop by Falafel King and get the carrot soup. They also put a lot of tahini on their chicken, and I can never go wrong with that dish. It is honestly one of the best meals, and it brings me joy every time I get to eat it.
There is another place, a new one, and it is a good one. I went to Ajax on a small business tour a few months ago, and I went to Aleppo Kebab. The owner is a Syrian refugee. He used to have a shawarma joint in Syria that served all the tourists who would go to the Roman ruins. Unfortunately, due to all the conflict in that country, he had to come to Canada, but like many people who come from Syria and other Arab countries, he did not sit around getting welfare; he started a business. The shawarma barbecue I got at Aleppo Kebab in Ajax is the best Middle Eastern barbecue I have had in my entire life. It makes sense, as the owner's family has been doing this for generations, and he is a really good businessman.
I love Middle Eastern food. I am giving these examples because they are real and people can relate to them, but they also speak to the broader impact that shawarma restaurants have had for small business in Canada. Another great example of Middle Eastern food has come from some families I have helped in my job. An Iraqi family has given me Iraqi dolma. It is wrapped in a leaf, and it is just mouth-wateringly delicious. They put some rice and lamb in a compressed pot with tomatoes and all sorts of spices. I cannot find better food than what there is in the Middle East. It just blows my mind, and it warms my heart every single time.
The bill we are discussing today is about recognizing Arab contributions to Canadian society. Arab Canadians have had an outweighted impact in terms of food. Shawarma is the greatest food in the world, and I think it is the best form of fast food in the world. Every chance I get to eat it, I am going to continue doing so. I thank all the shawarma restaurants across Canada for keeping me fit and in better shape, not going for a burger or something less helpful, because their food is just so amazing.
When I speak to many of the new immigrants from countries in the Middle East, they do not want to stop at shawarma restaurants. Their frustration with Canada relates to skills recognition. The reason some of these entrepreneurs are so good with their restaurants is that, in their home countries, they were running engineering firms. They were doctors at regional hospitals. They were orthopaedic surgeons. Canada must and can do a better job of admitting people and allowing for their previous work experience to be recognized in Canada.
The common story that has been shared in the House of Commons thousands of times is that of a cab driver or shawarma restaurant owner who had this great career abroad. They came to Canada on the points system, not necessarily as a refugee, but as soon as they got here, they found it almost impossible to practise the profession that got them here in the very first place.
The Liberal government has made commitments to improve skills recognition. I hope to see those promises fulfilled. I think that is a good thing for Canada and a good thing for our economy. Provincial governments across the board have done so as well.
If we take anything from the legislation before us here today, it is that very point: We will not see the full potential of Arab citizens in Canada if we do not modernize our immigration system and our skills recognition to allow people to flourish in the way we want every new Canadian to flourish in our country.
I am thankful for the time to speak today. It was wonderful to talk about amazing shawarma in the House of Commons.