Remarks By Thomas S. Saras
President NEPMCC at the Annual Get Together event December 2007

Hon. Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, Hon. members of the house of commons: Ed Komarnicki, Maurizio Belilacqua, Jim Karygiannis, Hon. members of the Diplomatic Corps,  Efthymios Efthymiades and Mr. John Tory Leader of the Progressive Conservative party of Ontario, Hon. Ministers Michael Chan and Margarett Best, Mr. Peter Tabuns, MPP,  Honourable guests of the head table, member organizations, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters in the Ethnic Press and Media.

It is a distinct honor for me on behalf of the members of our organization to welcome you here tonight, as we celebrate our annual Family event. As I don’t want to terrorize you with long speech, let me tell you that twelve years ago we were working individually in our daily struggle for survival.

A decade letter we are acting together to promote our common interests and make our voice heard by the respected governments of Canada and the provinces. Together we are fitting for the creation of a brotherhood. A brotherhood with every member being respected and his voice being heart.

Most of us are in Canada and Ontario in our strife to escape oppression, prosecution, starvation or cruelty or a human life dominated by armed camps.  Being professional writers and intellectuals we understand that we cannot be an isolated island in this great cultural mosaic of the Canadian society and that we have to accept responsibility for the creation of a better world, in freedom, brotherhood, equality and security. If it true that the development of civilization and human welfare based on the acceptance by every individual the certain fundamental decencies in our relations with each other and as a group. We strongly believe that if our society is to survive, then we have to make sure that we have to find common grounds for the benefit of our society in general.

To some extend these ideas are materialized in the verse of the ancient Greek philosopher: "We are aware of our common destiny as we struggle for our unknown future". Today is more than ever important that the place of a minority group in a democracy not be obscured by ignorance and prejudice. It is important that members of the minority groups consider together their special problems in order that these problems may find expression for the benefit of all. Furthermore it is of even greater importance that the whole process of democracy may work in such way to bring about their solution. For it is obvious that the political, social and economic well being of our society depends upon the achievements of the well being for all sections of the population regardless of color, creed, religion or geography.

Closing my remarks I would take this opportunity to express our thanks to Premier McGuinty for the wise decision of his government to take necessary corrective action for the  PST tax imposed without any justification on the publications of the Ethnic Press, as well all the politicians sided with us in our pain and agony of the past few months.
Thank you all and please stay with us as we celebrate the multicultural harmony of our brotherhood.