Richmond, British Columbia - 18 February 2015
Good evening.
It’s wonderful to be here with all of you.
I want to thank our Minister Alice Wong for that warm introduction.
I also want to thank my colleagues, M.P. Wai Young, Minister James Moore for being here.
Ladies and gentlemen, these are three very hard-working west coast Members of Parliament.
They love Canada.
They have your interests at heart, so please give a big hand to each and every one of them.
Of course I know everybody here.
This is a great evening and all of our thanks also go to Thomas Fung and the Fairchild Group for hosting us at this impressive Aberdeen Centre.
Let’s show them all our appreciation for hosting this great New Year’s event.
Ladies and gentlemen, on the occasion of this Chinese New Year, as we look across this great country it would be hard to speak too lightly of the tremendous contributions made by Canadians of Chinese ancestry.
From the building of the national railway in the early years of Confederation to present-day contributions to industry, commerce and our social life, your hard work, your creative genius, your rich cultural heritage have helped make Canada what it is today: the best country in the world.
What a great story the Chinese Canadian community’s has been and I know there’s much more to come.
Now ladies and gentlemen, the New Year is always a time for celebration, and I know that tonight, that’s what you’re here to do.
But it’s also a time to look forward and to do so with hope.
And as we do that, as we think about the days to come, you can be confident that our Government shares your optimism for this country, notwithstanding all the troubles and the uncertainties of the world around us.
So let us all join together, all of us, all of our hopes, dreams for harmony, prosperity and success as we welcome the year of the sheep with pride in our past and gratitude for the opportunities that lie before us.
Thank you for having me tonight.
Thank you very much.
Happy New Year!
