I thank you for the question because I think it’s particularly prescient. When you talk to international students, they know that they are the piggy bank that is funding colleges and universities. It’s heartbreaking to hear from them that they were sold on a dream and a promise from faraway lands that they would be able to come here, settle and start a new life with hope for prosperity in the future. When they come here and realize that their tuition is orders of magnitude higher than domestic students and that the promise that was made to them can’t be delivered upon, it tells them that their individual dignity does not count; it tells them that they count for nothing more than what’s in their bank accounts.

The only thing that they should be focusing on is their education and how they can settle their roots here and give back to our country and our economy.

It gives me great pleasure to introduce two individuals from my office. The first is Ben Iheagwara. He’s an outstanding intern with a background in political philosophy, who, I worry, is actually teaching me more than I am teaching him; so I thank you for that.

I’d also like to introduce Hamish Gilleland, a young, bright volunteer in my office, also from my riding, who will be joining me in between his classes at U of T to help advocate for a better Don Valley East.