 Thank you so much, my friends. Good evening. It is such a pleasure to be with you here tonight. Thank you all for being here. Thank you for including me in this wonderful celebration. Thank you for the enthusiasm, the strength, and the inspiring nature of this community. I want to start by congratulating tonight's 18 award recipients. Your passion, your dedication, and your achievements are an inspiration to us all. I'd also like to thank the Black Business and Professional Association for inviting me here tonight. Thank you to Michelle Richards, to Pauline Cristinault, it wasn't an extraordinary presence on stage, ladies and gentlemen. Pauline, your years of leadership have been extraordinary and we know you will continue to stand as a strong community member, continue to be involved in the black community and in building a better Canada for us all. But I know as powerful a woman as you are, you didn't do it alone. There's a lot of volunteers and her whole team that made this event a success. Thank you to everyone who makes this event such a success. As Pauline mentioned a few years ago, I had the chance to mark Black History Month at the BBPA Centre of Excellence. And it's great to be back here celebrating with the BBPA. Every year, the Harry Jerome Awards give us the opportunity to recognize the achievements of African Canadians who have proudly carried the legacy of the late Harry Jerome. We remember Harry not only for what he achieved, but for the man he was. Once the fastest man in the world, he was also a dedicated student and a pillar of his community who extended opportunities to others. Whether he was providing black youth with the sports equipment they needed to stay active alongside their peers, or opposing the misrepresentation of African Canadians on television, Harry never stopped fighting for a better world. Tonight, we celebrate extraordinary Canadians who, like Harry, chose to be agents of change. Trailblazers, young entrepreneurs, lifetime achievers, entertainers. The recipients of this year's Harry Jerome Awards are shaping Canada into a place we will be even prouder to call home in the coming years. Yeah, give them a round of applause. 2017 marks the 35th anniversary of the Harry Jerome Awards, and it also coincides with the 35th anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which is an amazing concordance, which is wonderfully fitting, since both are at their core, a celebration of fairness, of liberty, and of justice. But as you all know, it's been a long road to reach progress and equality in this country. We're all here today because of the work of our predecessors. May they be Harry Jerome, Lincoln Alexander, Jean Augustine, or even my dad, and of the choices they made in the name of progress. As Judge Juanita Westmoreland-Froere reminded us last year, we truly stand on the shoulders of giants. And like them, tonight's recipients have broken down barriers and face down challenges. They are role models of this generation using their own unique experiences to leave their mark. Take Leanne Prendergast, for example. When Leanne was in school, she was bullied by her classmates who teased her constantly and made her question herself worth. However, it's safe to say that the bullies didn't break Leanne. No. Instead, putting a stop to bullying became her mission. She wrote a book based on her experience to help young girls in need. To me, that's what courage and resilience looks like. Les récipients d'air de ce soir sont la preuve qu'il n'y a pas d'âge pour être un leader. Des jeunes inspirants comme Leanne Prendergast, Gabrielle Fletcher, et André Degrasse ouvrent la voie. C'est le genre d'attitude que la BBPA appuie fortement, tout comme notre gouvernement. As Reverend Oddly James put it, we must encourage leadership at a young age because if communities are going to survive in this country or anywhere, they will have to do so not on the backs of the seniors who are gone, but on the new generation going to come in. The Harry Jerome Awards give us the chance not only to recognize the achievements of incredible people, but to also build strong links across fields, generations, and communities. But my friends, as we stand here tonight, celebrating all the achievements, all the progress that has been made, we have to recognize and we know that still racism persists, yes, even in this country, that inequality lingers still despite the work done and the leadership of all in this room, and that is why we need trailblazers to team up with entertainers and young entrepreneurs to help others become agents of change because there is still much work to do. We need MPs like Ahmed Huthan, Emmanuel Zubourg, Frank Bayless, Greg Fergus, Selena Cesar Chavan, and Hedy Fry, and indeed all leaders across governments to work with people like Dr. Gooden, Isabelle Granger, and Fabienne Colas to build a more just society. This is how we will lead by example. That is how we will continue to move forward. There is still work to be done to eliminate the obstacles and ensure that each Canadian has a fair and equal chance of success. That is why the government has taken concrete measures to fight against inequalities and build a more inclusive Canada since the start of our mandate. The history of black Canadians who have shaped our country has been under silence and forgotten for too long. It is unacceptable and we must continue to honor and celebrate the achievements of the black community not only in February, but throughout the year. My Haitian friends, you will explain to others what I am going to say. Last year, we announced that Viola Desmond would figure out the history of Viola, pioneer of civil rights, with courage and determination. Just a few days ago, Minister Hussain and the President of the Treasury Board, Minister Scott Bryson, announced that name-blind recruitment techniques will be used by the Public Service Commission of Canada. This pilot project will test how effective name-blind recruitment techniques are in the Federal Public Service to help us attract, hire and retain the talented people we need to best serve Canadians. This is an important step to fight the bias that still exists against people who are racialized and ensure that applicants are selected for their qualifications, not their name. And on that note, I do want to once again single out and thank my friend Ahmed Hussain, who is here with us tonight for his tireless efforts as Canada's immigration citizenship and refugee minister. I know I don't have to in this room of all rooms go into Ahmed's incredible story and highlight just how our government is so fortunate to count on his experience as we all work together to build a better, more inclusive Canada. My friends, we really do stand on the shoulders of giants. And as I look around this room, I know that the next generation will, too. I want to once again congratulate all the recipients of this year's Harry Jerome Awards. You are all nothing short of inspiring, and I know that each and every one of us watching you tonight will leave this room knowing that we can and must do more. We have a wonderful, beautiful country to keep building, my friends. It didn't happen by accident. It won't continue without effort. But as I look around this room tonight, I know that Canada is in very, very good hands with all of you. Merci beaucoup, mes amis. Thank you very, very much.