Mr. Speaker, the 19th century author, Horatio Alger, wrote over 100 novels about young people who overcame adversity through hard work. There are 389 relentlessly hard-working young Canadians who have done the same and have earned scholarships from the Horatio Alger Association.
These scholars are proof of the association’s credo that in the free-market system, anyone can achieve anything through hard work and dedication. Prem Watsa is proof of that. The Horatio Alger Association president came to Canada with eight dollars in his pocket, and through hard work, he has built up a business with a book value of $8 billion, and now he is giving back through scholarships to deserving young people.
On behalf of the House of Commons, I congratulate Mr. Watsa and the scholars for reminding us that in a free-market system, anything is possible for those work hard and play by the rules.