Check It Out: Moving forward - Canadians need hope for the future

By Joan Janzen

Someone shared this fictional tale: "When my grandma was 65, she started walking five miles a day. She's 92 now, and we have no idea where she is."

Much like Grandma, Canadians need to keep moving forward every day; however, it's equally necessary to take a look back in time. This week the Juno Beach Centre is commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE-Day, marking the end of WWII. They are mailing postcards to 1,945 Canadian addresses, which were once home to fallen World War II soldiers. Residents have found the experience deeply moving, as they recall the sacrifices made by young Canadians. Hopefully, it will also inspire them to care for one another.

While on the subject of caring for one another, we are reminded that May 6 to 12th is National Nurses Week. It's a time to recognize the dedication and hard work of nurses. Dr. Suneel Dhand said in his newsletter, "Nurses deserve the utmost respect and admiration. I am honoured to have worked with and continue to work with, some amazing nurses."

David Craig from Merit TV Canada offered the following advice as we move forward: "We have to regain the commitment to treat others with dignity and respect, even though we have differences of opinion. "He added that media and social media have a way of stoking the fire of division.

He hopes we can focus on solving problems rather than winning arguments, and volunteers throughout the country focus on doing just that … solving problems. April 27 to May 3 was National Volunteer Week in Canada. It's a time when we celebrate, recognize and express appreciation for the contributions of volunteers across the country. It gives an opportunity for organizations to share their stories and the impact they make on communities.

Non-profits like Second Harvest is one of those stories. They report 1 in 4 people don't know where their next meal is coming from, yet 46.5 percent of all food in Canada is wasted every year, and 41.7 percent of this food could be redirected to support Canadians. Every year Canadians throw away enough good food to feed over 17 million people. Second Harvest and its partners rescued and redistributed 87 million pounds of food in 2024.

Non-profits like Second Harvest are multiplying throughout our country. The need for redirecting wasted food will increase in the near future. However, volunteers with hearts who serve Canadians are needed in order for that to happen. Without volunteers it's impossible for it to succeed, but with an infusion of volunteers at the helm, it has the potential to become an extremely productive mechanism.

"People need to think critically and evaluate things based on results," David Craig observed. The contribution of volunteers produces amazing results. However David also advised, "We can't afford to stay silent, just so others can remain comfortable." The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is a non-profit group that doesn't stay silent.

Franco Terrazzano from CTF said on a recent podcast, "Thank you for fighting with the taxpayer army, forcing the Liberal government to back down on their favourite tax, the carbon tax, but we've got a lot of stuff left to do here in Canada fighting for taxpayers."

As usual, he proceeded to provide a comprehensive list of what CTF is fighting. Interest charges on the federal debt are blowing more than a $1 billion hole in the budget every single week, and every dollar you pay in federal sales tax goes to pay interest charges on the debt. The Prime Minister wants to add $225 billion to the debt over the next 4 years, almost $100 billion more than Trudeau was planning to spend. All this debt has to be paid back somehow, whether it's tax hikes today, taxes plus interest tomorrow, or through the printing press, which is an inflationary tax.

"We need a culture change in Ottawa where politicians and bureaucrats respect your taxpayer's hard-earned money," he concluded.

Yet another non-profit group - the Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF), is focused on defending the principles that secure a free society. Joanna Baron from CCF listed those principles in an email report which include individual rights, responsible government, and the rule of law. Their work on the Online Harms Act is urgent as the new government hints it will reintroduce this legislation curbing speech. CCF takes the long view. Constitutional freedoms aren't secured in a single election or court case; they're preserved through persistent vigilance. With the support of Canadians, they will keep building the legal and cultural foundation for a freer Canada.

A freer Canada includes independent media such as LeDrew's 3 Minutes podcast. Steven LeDrew interviewed former Liberal MP, Dan McTeague, who said, "We have to consider the fact that we have elected someone who has said 'I'm all in on net zero', and that includes emissions caps, includes a restoration of the carbon tax as an industrial carbon tax, and it means EV mandates even though the rest of the world is moving on."

David Craig noted, "We have to guard against rewarding bad behaviour, and we have to ask ourselves - is this in the best interest of the country?"

We often hear the words' moving forward', which contrast with "going forward",” which means to plan for the future. Canadians need a plan for the future that includes hope.