 Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us. Today, I want to talk about something that oftentimes gets overlooked when we tell the story of Canada's history. I'm talking about the essential contributions of black Canadians to our national fabric. Mathieu de Costa, Lincoln Alexander, Jean Augustine, Viola Desmond, Daniela Ferriere. These are just a few the people of African descent have shaped Canada into the country it is today. And still, their stories too often go untold, relegated to the footnotes of history textbooks. And why? Because centuries of inherent oppression, systemic racism, and discrimination have taken root. Yes, even in Canada, progress is not felt by all people equally. Unconscious bias certainly does exist, and black Canadians are particularly vulnerable to this inequality. It is too common to hear stories of young women and men across the country who are first judged by the colour of their skin. Hearing about these individuals' lived experiences with racism and intersectional discrimination underscores that we must always strive to do better as Canadians. Everywhere in Canada, people of African descent wish to have good jobs, well-informed, a higher level of education, and the opportunity to participate equally to all the facets of the Canadian society. But in reality, too many of them live in poverty, have health problems, have a lower level of education and are sure to represent the criminal justice system. We can and must do better. This is why today we join leaders from across the international community in taking an important step forward. Today we announce that Canada is officially recognizing the international decade for people of African descent. This decade spanning from 2015 to 2024 allows us to highlight and celebrate the important contributions that people of African descent have made to Canadian society. But perhaps more importantly, it outlines a framework for recognition, justice, and development for our citizens. Acknowledging this decade is a recognition that people of African descent represent a distinct group whose human rights must be promoted and protected and whose history, culture, and contributions to society must be respected. In October 2016, our government invited a group of experts from the United Nations on African descent to Canada. These members made visits to Ottawa, Toronto, Halifax and Montreal. We are going to salute, among other things, our new initiative, which is to set up a judicial apparatus reflecting the composition of our country. That said, even if Canada has the reputation of promoting multiculturalism and valuing diversity, the working group has expressed concerns regarding the number of black Canadians. Particularly, the flow of anti-black racism. It is evident that there is a lot of work to be done. Here in Canada, over one million Canadians identify as black. The words we use and the actions we take matter. Our government's key priority is to deliver for the middle class and those working hard to join it. The investments we've made will improve the lives of all Canadians, including the lives of people of African descent. Programs like the Canada Child Benefit are helping parents with the high costs of raising children. An expanded Canada pension plan will help seniors retire with security and dignity. More generous student grant programs are helping low and middle-income students attend college and university. We're investing billions in affordable childcare. Our national housing strategy is going to address housing insecurity for a lot of vulnerable Canadians, and big investments in the Canada Summer Jobs Program help teens and young adults get their start in the working world. We have heard from people and organizations all over Canada, such as the Canadian Black Federation and other groups, saying that as a government, we must do more to support specifically the Canadian Blacks. The international decade of African descent in the U.N. proposes to increase the capacity of research and data collection in order to achieve a better overall view of the particular difficulties facing the Canadian Blacks. And that makes sense. The way we welcome and communicate data is insufficient. To establish foundation policies on proven data, we must improve the current system. We've heard about the need for increased community engagement and development projects. Just last year, as part of the multiculturalism program, our Minister of Canadian Heritage announced $5.5 million in funding for community projects that prioritize working towards the elimination of discrimination, racism and prejudice. These projects seek to promote diversity and intercultural understanding, all while championing an integrated, socially-inclusive society. We must do more to empower community organizations to educate people about anti-Black racism, unconscious bias and inherent privilege. Supporting these local grassroots efforts is one important way that we can build more inclusive workplaces, schools and communities. We know that the interaction between Black Canadians and the correction system as a whole faces a host of challenges from discrimination and policing to overrepresentation in our prisons. The percentage of inmates in federal prisons who are Black is 8.6 percent, despite Black Canadians accounting for only 3.5 percent of the general population. We've heard about these challenges from the Federation of Black Canadians, among others, and we know that these challenges must be addressed. And finally, concerned citizens and groups have engaged us on the unique mental health challenges facing Black Canadians. Our recent investments in mental health care, as negotiated in the Provincial and Territorial Health Accords, will start this work and help us support Black Canadians. As we embark soon on the start of Black History Month, Black History is Canadian history. Thus, addressing the challenges facing Black Canadians requires participation from all Canadians. In recognizing the international decade for people of African descent, Canada commits to a better future for Black Canadians, a future where they experience full and equal participation in society across political, social and economic life. Working together, we can combat anti-Black racism and discrimination and deliver better outcomes for Black Canadians. Before I finish, I would like to greet the members of the caucus who are on my side this afternoon for the incredible leadership that they have fought for over the last two years. And I also want to thank the community leaders who are here with us today. To all women and men who work hard to promote the rights of the Black community, as well as those of the Indigenous and racialized people from one end to another in the country. Thank you again for being another for this important day. We have done a lot of work to get here, but we still have more work ahead of us that we will do together.