Nova Scotia – I’m thinking about my riding – is a unique place in Canada, indeed, in the world. With many families living in poverty, and many individuals unemployed, it is easy for people here to feel discouraged. I think that plays a huge part in the low voter turnout. In the last election, roughly 20 000 people in Central Nova, across the riding, did not vote. Democracy only works when people feel encouraged and motivated to change their society. It has been shown time and again that people who feel run down by the system, disadvantaged and left behind are not active citizens. People who are stressed, tired, overworked and discouraged do not often see the point in participating in an election, or in much else. But I strongly contest any assertion that any place in Atlantic Canada has “a culture of defeatism”- to quote Prime Minister Stepehen Harper- particularly any such assertion relating to Pictou County, Eastern Shore or Antigonish County.
I attended today a fundraiser in New Glasgow for the United Way. It was “a millionaires lunch” where local business leaders, community workers, politicians, high school students and others ate macaroni and cheese to support community. The United Way in Pictou County does an incredible service to the area. This summer, I attended a planning meeting at the United Way to discuss youth support systems to give young people a sense of wellbeing.
One of the speakers at the lunch today was an RCMP officer, John Kennedy. He told the remarkable story of how he got involved in a massive literacy movement. He said he’d have to write the statements for many young offenders, and started asking them why they didn’t read more. They told him that there were no books in the school. From there, he went on to help raise money to purchase books for a local library. In the years he has continued to work on this project, the reading program has expanded a great deal. He got this community project started from the simple idea that youth who read are less likely to be involved in crime. Statistically, he supported this by saying that 65% of inmates in prison have low literacy. The program now involves sending community leaders, police officers, businessmen and others into schools to read to students. As he suggested, the interaction of youth with authority figures in society goes a long way toward making a community cohesive and understanding. It makes adults more approachable to young people and also contributes to a young person’s sense of value and esteem in the eyes of society. When he asked for support, the RCMP in Pictou County allowd him to change his work in law enforcement. He is now a full time literacy officer, fighting crime through helping kids read.
This is one example of the incredible community work that is done routinely in this region of the world. From Roots of Empathy- a teaching system where parents and babies go into classrooms to teach children empathy and compassion- to Women-Alike-Abreast-A-River, an incredible team of breast-cancer survivors who raise funds for breast cancer awareness and treatment through their dragon boat team. There are massive efforts in Pictou, in New Glasgow, Antigonish and through out Central Nova to engage in a society where people know how to help one another.
Part of the need for this community work comes from the very source that also breeds apathy and discouragement. The fact that Nova Scotia is left behind by most of Canada’s economic and social fabric creates the necessity for more local and innovative programs to assist each other. It is inspiring to be a part of this rich and vital community life.
I believe that the spirit of community that exists here is a building place from which we can create a healthy society, one in which people feel safe, comfortable and secure. But the region is in need of help. The government of Stephen Harper has failed to support this region, and many people are in danger of losing hope and falling through the cracks of our communities. With the local engagement I have seen here there is no question that Atlantic Canada could rejoin the Canadian economy with a thriving new energy sector and a renewed commitment from the Canadian government to support rural areas, agriculture, manufacturing and social services. There is so much unrealized potential, and this is why Harper makes the mistake of thinking that Atlantic Canadians are defeatists. The essence of community is understood better here than anywhere else in Canada, and we have the potential to create a truly healthy society where no one is left behind.