Thank you, Madam Speaker. On November 3, 1993, I watched a documentary on CBC which disturbed me. The title of the documentary was A Place Called Dixie. The whole purpose of this documentary were Canadian immigration laws and the situation in Somalia. The title of the documentary refers to an apartment building. Madam Speaker, in recent years, the Dixie apartments have had an influx of Somalian refugees moving into the building. These people, due to economic conditions, crowded more than one family into an apartment.

Madam Speaker, this led to concerns on the part of the landlord and other tenants about the conditions of overcrowding in the building. The tenants say that their opposition to the Somalians in the building is built on the issue of safety, the number of people in an apartment and that rent should be charged on the basis of how many people are living in the apartments. Although the people interviewed said that their opposition was not racially motivated, Madam Speaker, I believe that their opposition was partly motivated by racial intolerance.

The major problem I had with the entire documentary was with a Somalian girl who made the following statement: "Canada is a multicultural country. Nobody owns it." This implies, Madam Speaker, that the country had no history before immigration from Europe began. This is an injustice to all aboriginal people in Canada. What must be done, Madam Speaker, is an education program for new immigrants to Canada. They must be made aware of the rich history of Canada before the Europeans. Just as they are encouraged to maintain their culture in Canada, so should they be made aware of Canada's original people. Mahsi cho.

---Applause