Thread by @beynate

With a busy week of door knocking behind us, I'm thankful for our hard working local team and the continued support from so many neighbours.

The most common question we’ve received so far is: “why is there a federal election right now?”

Here are some thoughts.

I admit to having mixed feelings about the election. In my first speech after the 2019 election, I said that minority parliaments hold the potential for greatness. I still think that’s true.

As the pandemic rightly took over our politics last year, we may well have reached that potential at times. For ex, there was great collaboration across party lines to make virtual parliament work, to deliver benefits to those in need, and to support other levels of government.

Cooperation can unfortunately be fleeting in politics, and the most recent session from January to June was easily the most dysfunctional I’ve seen in my six years in the job.

The Conservatives were bent on delay, and our Liberal government did not find a reliable partner to cut through the procedural gamesmanship. We barely passed UNDRIP and net zero legislation, and other bills - from updating PIPEDA to criminal justice reform - stalled completely.

I know all parties will spin the delay, and I don’t think we are free from blame on this front (C-10 anyone?), but the fact remains our agenda wasn’t moving at the pace it should have moved.

So I understand the government’s decision. An election offers a reset, we need parliament to function effectively to deliver on a smart and fair recovery, and there are competing election cycles in 2022.

Of course, Elections Canada is ensuring the process will be safe.

And since parliament doesn't ordinarily resume until mid-September, there isn’t a great deal of time lost to the election cycle before we get back to work.

And that’s the main conversation to have. We need to get back to work, and there’s much work ahead as we wind down emergency benefits and look to a long-term growth plan, as we strengthen our vaccination effort, and as we address other issues, from climate change to childcare.

The election offers all parties a fair opportunity to articulate to Canadians what policies should come next, and why they are best suited to govern through a recovery period.

For my part, I don’t see any credible alternative to govern, I see significant progress these last six years (with a pandemic thrown in for good measure) and I believe that we need to protect and build on that progress.

Finally, whether it’s a minority or a majority government, I hope we all get back to that more co-operative approach, and that voters here in Beaches-East York send me back to work.