Mr. Speaker, the Montreal Filipino-Canadian community and broader Montreal community have lost a true humanitarian, gentleman and civic builder. 

Dr. Florentino Rosario’s life and career as a surgeon took him from the Philippines to the United States to Ottawa’s Montfort Hospital and later to Montreal’s Royal Victoria Hospital and Lachine General Hospital. 

A gentle and humble man, his ethic of service extended beyond the professional realm to caring for the social and cultural well-being of his community. In 1976, noticing that more Filipino Canadians were moving to Montreal’s West Island, Dr. Rosario founded the Filipino Canadian Association of West Island, which today continues to provide opportunities for West Islanders of Filipino heritage to celebrate their history and culture, and youth to socialize through sporting and other activities. 

 To Dr. Rosario’s wife, Pat, we offer our deepest condolences on this tremendous loss that is shared by so many.