London-Fanshawe Federal Liberal Association

Yesterday afternoon, I contacted the Ale House and spoke with its owner, Alex Petro. I asked him to consider the impact of his signs, especially at a time when ...hate incidents targeting Canadians of Asian and Chinese heritage have been rising since the onset of covid-19. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t really concede how hurtful the signs were, but Petro said that he will be more mindful of the language used in the future. I truly hope that’s the case. Freedom of speech isn’t under attack here. Instead, what’s at stake is whether or not we treat each other with respect. Democracy can’t exist without free speech but trust is the value that ultimately underpins liberty, particularly during times of crisis. Words matter. They create perceptions and perceptions have consequences - including potentially violent ones. The virus may have originated in China but this does not mean responsibility for it lies with Chinese members of our community or those in other communities. Yet, this is happening and it’s why hate incidents have increased. After also raising this issue with the Department of Justice, the matter is left in the hands of the London Police Service. They have responded to the incident and we should trust their professional judgement. While a formal breach of municipal or federal law may not have occurred, this doesn’t mean we can’t speak up when things like this happen. It continues to be a difficult time, yet we must strive to be kind to each other. That’s a collective responsibility I know we can live up to. Finally, for more on what fellow citizens of Asian and Chinese descent are facing and why the Ale House story shouldn’t be brushed aside, see: https://www.google.ca//article-data-shows-an-increase-in-/

Thank you Prime Minister Justin Trudeau!

Join other volunteers and London-Fanshawe's Liberal candidate Mohamed Hammoud today and tomorrow to be a part of our latest #LPCVirtual event!

A HUGE congratulations to Mohamed Hammoud for being our Liberal candidate for London-Fanshawe! Mohamed is making calls with his team for this #WeekendOfAction, join us all for the latest #lpcvirtual event!!

Introducing the Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program: Yesterday, our government announced new support for businesses that have been hardest hit b...y the pandemic. This includes restaurants, businesses in the tourism and hospitality sectors, and those that rely on in-person service. Starting next Monday, February 1st, you’ll be able to apply for low-interest loans of up to $1 million if your business is one of those that has been hardest hit. If you’d like to learn more about this support, click here: https://bit.ly/3pkWsJ8. If you’d like to apply once the process opens next week, please contact your primary financial institution.

It’s been one year since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Canada, and I know the past 12 months haven’t been easy. I want you to know that we’re goin...g to continue to do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Whether you’re looking for financial support or mental health resources, there’s help available for you. Here’s a quick look at what’s out there: If you need help making ends meet, we’ve created a number of programs and benefits to help you. There’s the wage subsidy, the rent subsidy, the Recovery Benefit, the Sickness Benefit, the Caregiving Benefit, and more. To see the full list of supports that are available for you, your family, and your business, and to learn more about which ones you could be eligible for, click here: https://bit.ly/3t6gqK6 If you’re feeling anxious or stressed and need someone to talk to, we’ve launched the Wellness Together online portal, where you can connect to mental health resources: https://bit.ly/3oi8AcC. If your kids are looking for help, they can call Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or they can text TALK to 686868. If you’re not sure where to turn, you can call 2-1-1 and they’ll help connect you to the right resources. We’ve started rolling out vaccines, and more are on the way. That’s good news, and that means better days are coming. But that doesn’t mean we can let our guards down yet. We have to keep doing what we’ve been doing - so wear your mask, wash your hands, keep your distance, and use the COVID Alert app: https://bit.ly/39gTbou. We’ll get through this together.

Diwali reminds us that truth, light, and goodness will always prevail. To celebrate that hopeful message and mark this important festival, I joined a virtual celebration earlier this evening. Happy Diwali to everyone celebrating!

A jaw-dropping scandal has revealed that Doug Ford lied to Ontario and betrayed the trust of voters. FordNation ignored the advice of Ontario’s top doctors and ...then lied to us about it. His lie led to skyrocketing cases and a new wave of tragedy in our nursing homes. My statement: https://ontarioliberal.ca/doug-ford-lied-to-ontario/

Update on personal protective equipment: Over the past few days, we’ve shipped more than 1.2 million pairs of nitrile gloves to workers on the front lines. We’v...e also provided more than 3.3 million rapid tests to the provinces and territories - with more on the way. In the next few weeks, we’re expecting other rapid tests to be delivered - including the BD Veritor, a handheld device that can process a test in just over 15 minutes. We have a contract for 7.6 million of these tests, with millions being delivered by the end of the year. We’ve also seen businesses step up to make personal protective equipment. For example, GM Canada has made nearly 5 million masks so far for people across the country. These are masks made by Canadians, for Canadians - and we’ll continue to support these efforts.

I spoke with Joe Biden today, and congratulated him again on his election. We’ve worked with each other before, and we’re ready to pick up on that work and tack...le the challenges and opportunities facing our two countries - including climate change and COVID-19. We talked about those specific challenges today, as well as trade, energy, NATO, anti-Black racism, and China’s arbitrary detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. On these and other issues, President-elect Biden and I agreed to keep in touch and work closely together. More on our call here: https://bit.ly/3lgUuaC