The past year has been difficult, 40 percent of Canadians reported that their mental health deteriorated last year, and for those with pre-existing mental health conditions that number rose to 61 percent. Specifically, young people have seen the greatest decline in mental health compared to pre-pandemic levels.   Seven out of ten health care workers reported a worsening of their mental health…

The sciences and bio-manufacturing sector is a priority that goes beyond responding to COVID-19. This is a growing sector that supports thousands of good, middle class jobs. Our government will continue to invest in our bio-manufacturing sector, which has declined for decades and left Canada without the capacity needed to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines at home. In the last…

According to Statistics Canada, in 2019, firearms were used in more than 40 percent of homicides in Canada. There were over 107,000 victims of police-reported intimate-partner violence in Canada in 2019; of 660 of them, a firearm was present. Women accounted for almost 8 out of 10 victims of all incidents and were more likely to be the victim in the 660 incidents where a firearm…

Prior to the pandemic, we saw a worsening opioid epidemic that has devastated lives and communities across Canada, especially in Ontario and here in Waterloo Region. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the ongoing opioid overdose crisis in Canada. Isolation, stress, toxic supply, and reduced access to services have contributed to the epidemic. Canada suffered a 74 percent increase in…