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.

Thank you very much, Madame Chancellor. We know who Canada’s true friends are when they come to visit in early February. Your previous visits to Canada were in June 2010 and August 2012. And so you have had the opportunity to appreciate the full diversity of our climate. So, Madame Chancellor Angela, welcome.  For my part, I’ve been welcomed to your country on no less than five occasions.  Visits that have always been warm and worthwhile, so I hope we’re able to do the same for you here.

Thank you very much! Xin chào quý vị Thank you all for that tremendous welcome and thank you for being here.  You know, as I listened earlier to the introductions…as I listened particularly to that rousing rendition of our national anthem and I listened to the speeches, I really understood the tremendous passion this community has, not just in its identity but in its membership to this country.

Thank you very much. Good afternoon, everyone. It’s a real pleasure to be back here in the Niagara region and St. Catharines once more. And I’d like to begin by thanking our hosts, Joe, Rosanne, and Janet, and all the people here at Framecraft. This is a business I’m told of second-generation ownership now, been around half a century, all-Canadian products.