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Julie Dzerowicz Member of Parliament
Davenport

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Davenport Neighbours and Friends,

The 18th Prime Minister of Canada died yesterday. As a fellow politician, I honour all those who commit their lives to public service.  The Rt Hon Brian Mulroney will be given a state funeral.  I am grateful to former PM Mulroney for his service to our nation.

 February 24 marked the second anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and many foreign leaders, including our Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, travelled to Ukraine to show solidarity, and promised to continue to support Ukraine. “We will stand with Ukraine with whatever it takes, for as long as it takes.”    Ukraine and strengthening NATO were the key topics of conversation during the 2024 Joint Meetings of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Brussels, Belgium – where I had the privilege and honour of leading a 10-member Canada NATO Parliamentary (CANA)  delegation as Chair of CANA.   A key message that emerged is that it is critical for parliamentarians to communicate how the world has become more dangerous and we need to step up our national security and defence spending.

My heart breaks every time I think of the  Israel-Hamas war.  I feel that while Canada continues to work hard on getting more humanitarian aid into Gaza (i.e. air  drops), getting Palestinian Canadians/PR & families out and strongly advocating for a two state solution — the international community as a whole is failing to protect innocent lives in Gaza.   Not just in Gaza, but in Sudan … and so many other places in the world.  How did we become so powerless?  Perhaps it’s because we have relied on the United States’ power (moral and physical) for so long and now with the massive shift in geopolitical power including the decline of the USA, we see and feel the decline – in Gaza, in Sudan, in other parts..  While it does not address the shift in geopolitics, I have updated my Israel-Hamas Statement.

Our federal government continues the work to ensure the integrity of our immigration system.  Canada has imposed new visa requirements for Mexican nationals due to a massive increase in asylum seeker claims that subsequently have been refused, abandoned or withdrawn.  See more details here. 

Electric vehicles – Canadians want more! And so, I was delighted to join  the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources regarding federal investment to create 500 more charging stations across Toronto.

This week our federal government introduced legislation for a national universal pharmacare program  in Canada. If passed, phase one of the program will ensure universal, single-payer coverage for contraception and diabetes medications. 

Locally it was wonderful to get out and about joining both the Sistering and the Oasis Dufferin Coldest Night of the Year events – both organisations raised a lot of money for our most vulnerable. In addition to the many fun Portuguese celebrations, I also popped over to the local mosque to say hello and wish them Ramadan Mubarak!

March is moving us closer to that April 30th personal income tax deadline and I know that some of you do not have the resources to afford help to complete your taxes, so I’m providing a link to free tax return clinics here in Davenport.

I know how  important the arts and culture sectors are to our Davenport community and I have been in touch with Deputy Prime Minister Freeland and Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge to request more funding and support for our artists, creators and those working in the cultural sector.

And calling all young people! March 9 is the last chance to join the Davenport Youth Council! If you’re aged 15-22, want to be engaged in your community, learn about Canada’s political process, discuss issues and be a voice for youth, now’s the time to join! 

As always, it’s a true honour and pleasure to serve you Davenport!

My very best regards,
 

Julie Dzerowicz
Member of Parliament – Davenport