“
Resist the sin of Indifference”
By Howard Hampton MPP
It seems that every year when we gather together with our families over the holidays our outlook becomes brighter, our lives take on new meaning and we prepare ourselves to move on to a new year with optimism and hope.
Many Ontarians don’t have that luxury. For many of our fellow citizens the holidays are a difficult time. Some don’t have family to spend it with. Others are separated by distance and time from their families. Numerous Ontario families spend the Christmas season worrying about how they are going to ensure that there is enough food on their tables, that their children will have new toys to play with and proper clothing for the cold winter nights
This has been a difficult year for working families. Many Ontarians, especially those working in the manufacturing sector have lost their jobs. There are numerous communities throughout our province, especially in the North, communities dependent on the forestry industry for example, where a mill closure doesn’t just mean hardship for the families of those who worked at the mill, but for all those who live in that community.
There are numerous families in our cities, those who have work and others who don’t, who live month to month. There are families who struggle to pay their rent, to make sure that there is enough food on the table, for whom rising hydro, rent and food costs might make the difference between whether they make it that month or whether they have to go to a food bank.
While we spend the holidays with our families we have to remember that working families who work hard and play by the rules deserve a fair shake..
On a personal level, we can contribute to our local food banks. We can volunteer our time with local organizations that work to ensure that Ontarians have the supports they need over the holiday season. We can donate toys and winter clothes to the innumerable clothes drives and toy drives sponsored by community organizations. We can open our homes to members of our communities who have no one to share the holidays with.
On a political level we can continue to champion change that will make life better and more affordable for every Ontarians. We can advocate for a $10 an hour minimum wage, a minimum wage that would allow for working Ontarians to escape from a cycle of poverty and insecurity. We can advocate for a Job Protection Commissioner to sustain good-paying jobs. We can advocate affordable energy, so that our factories and mills stay open and good-paying manufacturing jobs stay in Ontario.
Former CCF leader J. S. Woodsworth once said that we have to “resist the sin of indifference.” That’s what we need to do this holiday season. We need to work hard to ensure that Ontario is a place where the holidays are a happy time for everyone, not just for those who can afford it.
Mr. Howard Hampton, is the Leader of the Ontario New Democrats.
