Ontario Hansard

February 17 2005

ASIAN HERITAGE ACT, 2005 /

Mr. Wong moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 113, An Act to proclaim the month of May as Asian Heritage Month…

Mr. Frank Klees (Oak Ridges): I'm certainly pleased to rise to add my comments to this debate. I commend the member from Markham for bringing this bill forward.

I have the honour of representing the riding of Oak Ridges, which is composed of the communities of Richmond Hill, the northern part of Markham -- north of 16th Avenue -- and Whitchurch-Stouffville, one of the most highly ethnically diverse ridings in the province. That's what makes it so rich. Within the context of the Richmond Hill area of my riding, some 30% of the voters are in fact of Asian descent.

I am proud to call friends those individuals who have come to this country, either themselves or their parents. I too am an immigrant to this country. I was five years old when my parents immigrated from Germany. I know that they came here, that they made that decision to immigrate, because of the opportunity that was here, and that is here for anyone who chooses to seize that opportunity and the freedoms represented here. It's appropriate that we recognize our heritage. I am proud of mine. We should all be proud of our heritage, and those who are of Asian descent have much to be proud of.

I want to refer to some of the organizations within this province, and specifically within my riding, that celebrate that heritage. One is the Mon Sheong Foundation. This is an organization that is doing much good, not only within York region but across the province. The Mon Sheong Foundation was based on a philosophy of care and respect. It is based on the life of Mon Sheong, who lived in China around 300 B.C. The Mon Sheong Foundation has sponsored the construction of long-term-care facilities throughout the greater Toronto area and provides ethno-specific care for individuals who are much in need of care and support in their elderly years.

I also want to pay tribute to another organization, the Carefirst Seniors and Community Services Association. This, again, is an ethno-specific organization that provides community support and home care services. Dr. John Chan is the president and works with his wife, Susie; Dr. Ambrose Fung is the past president; and Helen Leung is the executive director -- incredible service provided to seniors who cannot speak the language but who need the kind of community care support that is being provided by Carefirst. They deserve to be supported by our government, by this government, for the kind of care they are providing.

I also want to make reference -- in fact, I'm attending tomorrow night one of the regular events hosted by the Richmond Hill Chinese Seniors Association. That is sponsored by an individual who has done much good work throughout the entire area. I want to pay tribute to that organization because they provide services, recreational opportunities and supports to seniors that are very important to them. Mr. Jackie Lee, who is president of that organization, deserves a great deal of credit for the untiring work he puts into that organization.

Finally, I want to recognize the good work of the Richmond Hill and Markham Chinese Business Association: president, Daisy Wai; first vice-president, David Ho; second vice-president, Benedict Leung; third vice-president, Stanley Yim; secretary, Peggy Tang; treasurer, Larry Chiu; and legal adviser, Sunny Ho. This is an organization that has done so much over the years to integrate the Chinese business community with the broader community to ensure there is co-operation, not only within the business community but among all the levels of government as well.

When we look at our communities -- I speak specifically about York region, but the broader GTA and the broader business community in this province -- the amount of investment, the amount of contribution that has been made by the Asian community to this province is insurmountable. If we were to extricate the contributions of the Asian community from this province, there would be a very noticeable void. So we welcome and we are thankful for the contributions of the Asian community, their contribution to the culture of this province, to the culture and strength of our local communities, and certainly to the strength and viability of our economic foundation here in this province.

This community deserves this recognition. I certainly wholeheartedly support it. As I indicated, I welcome the initiative by the member from Markham. I join with him. I have many opportunities to attend the same events as the member from Markham and to celebrate with the Asian community the many good works that are done.

In closing, I want in my remarks to thank this community for its generosity. Whether it's the Dragon Ball, whether it is one of the many local fundraising events that take place to support the various charitable organizations and the good works the community does, time and time again we see many of the same people who are giving, I know, sacrificially for that good cause. It comes out of that philosophy of care and respect, two principles that are so fundamental and so important and that are often forgotten. It's the Asian community that reminds us of it, not only in word but in deed. We are grateful for that and we look forward to all members of the House supporting this initiative today.