Today@Dal

On Tuesday, The Honourable Denise Peterson-Rafuse (Minister of Community Servicesand MLA, Chester-St. Margarets) introduced a resolution into the Nova Scotia Legislature commending the work of the Dal-hosted Romeo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative. The resolution reads as follows:

Resolution 1092

Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, based at Dalhousie University's Centre for Foreign Policy Studies, is a global partnership committed to ending the use and recruitment of child soldiers worldwide through ground-breaking research, advocacy, and security sector training; and

Whereas this initiative is being led by Nova Scotian Dr. Shelly Whitman, a native of Tantallon, who has made ending the use of child soldiers worldwide a major priority in her life; and

Whereas there are more than 250,000 children who have been recruited to participate in armed conflicts worldwide, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as parts of Asia and South America, and Nova Scotia is the home of many new Canadians who have left conflict zones, so a number of our children have been severely affected by this issue;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly acknowledge the leadership role of Dr. Whitman, her staff, and the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative at Dalhousie University, in ending the practice of recruiting children as soldiers, and extend a heartfelt thank you for making a difference in the lives of the world's children and for shining a positive light on Nova Scotia on the global stage.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.