Last night was a great night.
And a stark reminder of the new world we’re headed toward.
At the Peter McKee Community Centre Premier’s Dinner.
Former Premier Stephen MacNeil said it right – we’re so very fortunate to have been born in Canada.
And Premier Susan Holt lit up the room with her optimism about New Brunswick’s position.
And then Peter MacKay reminded us:
That while some of us are lucky (1/4 in children still go to school hungry).
And we do indeed have an opportunity (NB has 21 of the 34 essential minerals).
We do not have a history of capitalizing on that good fortune.
He’s right.
Out of 60 states and provinces, New Brunswick ranks 59th.
Only Nova Scotia is behind New Brunswick.
And that is happening in a world with increasing economic inequality – we’re seeing it with more need at the food banks. We’re seeing a rise in the chronically unhoused. AI will reduce the number of jobs at the entry level and only exascerbate inequality (if it does not have guardrails).
All the right things were said last night.
A focus on the Economy to drive our own sustainability. A focus on Healthcare to take away the insecurity we all feel around care. And a focus on education to invest in the generations that come next.
And then we have to ask ourselves.
Do we have the leadership capacity in the private and public sectors to lead this change?
It is monumental.
It requires doing the things that we haven’t done as a region in more than 150 years.
And doing so in a world that is more polarized, less tolerant of mistakes, less trusting of the democratic institutions to guide the way, and highly skeptical of anything led by the government.
And yet hope combined with some elbow grease, and focused leadership can move mountains.
As David Alward brilliantly said last night – “There are windows of opportunity. And we’re in one now.”
The Chaos down south has forced us to ask the question: What happens when we’re no longer protected by our geographical big brother?
Under the leadership of the Premiers, particularly Tim Houston and Doug Ford, Canada’s first ministers recognized the moment and struck an aligned, focused, and cooperative tone that we have not seen since confederation.
Mark Carney has taken up the mantle and with the premiers, has driven the agenda of reinventing Canada.
Obama said the world needs more Canada.
He’s right.
As former Premier McNeil said last night – It starts by investing in our businesses that spend their time investing in the communities they live, work, and operate in.
I’m in.
Not Blindly. But Confidently.
Thanks for the invite Christopher Gourley (What an example you modeled last night to bring the motley crew you did together and sharing it with your daughter as well!)
let’s move those mountains.
We started in a small way last night with more than 150k raised for the Peter McKee Community Food Centre.
