2020 was a year we will all remember for the health and economic crisis that unexpectedly took hold of our country, our communities, and our entire global society. Yet my hope is that as time passes we will also remember it for the way we supported each other, the lessons we learned about what services and resources are essential to us, and what we have mistakenly undervalued in the past.
From assisting our neighbours, shopping more at local businesses, to organizing charitable fundraisers, to car and truck parades thanking our health-care workers or marking someone’s birthday, this past year has forced us all to pay more attention to our interconnectedness, and to consider new ways in which we can support one another.
Supporting one another is a Canadian value, one that drives my work as your Member of Parliament. I’m very proud of what my colleagues and I have accomplished in broadening and strengthening the supports offered by government. By listening to those in our communities who were being left behind we were able to increase and expand CERB and the wage subsidy, and add benefits for seniors, students and people living with disabilities. There are still gaps and shortcomings, but millions of Canadians got help who initially would not have. As a result we’ll all be better off as we begin to recover after this ordeal.
“We are all in this together” shouldn’t be only a slogan for 2020. Going forward we all need to be in it together to fight the climate crisis and the opioid crisis. We all need to be in it together in our fight against racism and other forms of discrimination. We all need to be in together to create good jobs and affordable housing for everyone in our communities.
That is what I hope for in 2021. Wishing you a great year.
