Opinion from Justin Trudeau: We can move forward or let "Conservatives take us backward"
Written for Daily Hive by Justin Trudeau, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
When things get tough, Canadians pull together.
That’s exactly what we saw in the last 18 months. You put on your masks, banged pots and pans for our frontline heroes, and stayed home from work and school to keep each other safe.
You all sacrificed so much to help out your fellow Canadians – and our Liberal team was there to have your backs. We did what we’ve done since 2015: put Canadians first.
We helped Canadians pay their bills with the CERB. We helped keep businesses’ doors open and millions of workers on the payroll with the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy.
And we secured enough vaccines for all eligible Canadians to be fully vaccinated by July.
In this important election, all Canadians have a clear choice: move forward with our Liberal plan to finish the fight against COVID-19 and build a better Canada for everyone or let Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives take us backward.
Moving forward starts with finishing the fight against COVID-19, and we know that the best way to prevent future lockdowns and stop the spread of the virus is through vaccines.
That’s why we’re going to help provinces and territories bring in proof-of-vaccine credentials, we will make sure that every Canadian travelling on a plane or train has their shots, and we’re going to ensure all Canadians have safe access to the health care services they need – whether it is vaccines or abortion services – free from threats and intimidation.
We need to get the job done on vaccines. And we need to build a stronger universal, public health care system with new investments to hire more family doctors, improve long-term care, and better support Canadians’ mental health.
That’s what our Liberal plan offers, but Erin O’Toole’s plan is very different. He won’t make vaccines mandatory for people sitting next to you on a train or plane, won’t require his candidates to be vaccinated when they knock on your door, and thinks it’s ok for his partially vaccinated candidates to visit senior homes.
He praised Alberta premier Jason Kenney’s approach to the pandemic just days ago, when their health system was on the brink of collapse due to the province’s half measures that haven’t kept people safe from the virus.
And by starving the health system of needed support now, at the very moment we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives will only deepen the challenges faced by our hospitals and health professionals, pushing back delayed surgeries, creating longer wait lists, and driving more privatization into Canada’s health system — which will only help the wealthy skip the line.
It’s clear that Erin O’Toole won’t show leadership to help get Canadians out of the pandemic — and without leadership, we can’t build a better Canada.
I believe in a different Canada. One where we think bigger and we tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow, with real solutions.
We need to build a Canada where young Canadians can get ahead and aren’t burdened by their student loan repayments. One with $10 a day child care to make life more affordable for Canadian families and grow our workforce. One that will help Canadians buying their first home save up to $30,000, end blind bidding, and stop renovictions.
One that accelerates our fight against climate change, protects our environment, and creates clean jobs and growth. And one that keeps dangerous assault weapons out of our communities.
Our plan invests in the middle class and those working hard to join it — because we know that we can’t reach our full potential unless we build a better future for everyone.
This better Canada is in our reach, but we can’t let Erin O’Toole take us back to the days of private, for profit healthcare, back to when assault weapons were legal, back to MPs pushing anti-abortion laws, and back to denial and inaction on climate change.
That is what’s at stake in this election. And if progressives come together and vote for our Liberal team, we can stop Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives and build a better future.
My friends, let’s not go backward. Let’s keep putting Canadians first. Let’s keep pulling together. Let’s finish the fight against COVID-19.
And let’s work together to keep moving forward — for everyone.
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