Hon. Amina Gerba: Colleagues, I will continue with my series of statements announced for this 2024 Black History Month by introducing a couple we are very proud of, a couple known and respected across the country. I’m referring to Vickie Joseph and Frantz Saintellemy, whom I have previously introduced in this chamber individually. Today, we are fortunate to have them both with us.

A shared passion for entrepreneurship and their desire to help their community flourish has united Vickie and Frantz for the past two decades. They are best known for Groupe 3737, our largest non-profit innovative business incubator, which has been working since 2012 to strengthen the capacity of entrepreneurs from diverse ethnocultural backgrounds.

Born in Montreal to Haitian parents who emigrated to Canada, serial entrepreneur and philanthropist Vickie Joseph made history in Quebec in 2023 by becoming the first Black woman to chair the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal in its 200-year history.

You have certainly already discovered Frantz Saintellemy by reading his poster, which is currently displayed in the Senate foyer. He is one of our great Black Canadian innovators who excel internationally in the technology sector, particularly in the field of autonomous vehicles. Born in Haiti, he arrived in Montreal at age eight and was raised in the working-class neighbourhood of Saint-Michel by a single mother who worked hard to earn a living as a seamstress. The first Black chancellor of the Université de Montréal, Frantz Saintellemy sees himself as an “unlikely statistic.” He sold his first start-up in 2015 for US$350 million, when he was barely out of Northeastern University.

Our famous entrepreneurial couple has earned too many honours to count. However, I would be remiss if I did not point out that Frantz became a member of the National Order of Quebec in January 2023.

Honourable colleagues, Vickie Joseph and Frantz Saintellemy are other examples that confirm that Black excellence is a legacy to be recognized and celebrated every day.

Thank you.