To paraphrase Dickens “we live in the best of times and the worst of times”. Certainly, we live in challenging times, given the impact of COVID-19. Yet in these difficult times lie opportunities. The collective Island challenge is to see these opportunities and seize them.
Our provincial government has recently announced a common effort to Renew P.E.I. Together. On the surface, this is a reasonable and honorable objective. However, the question remains: what is meant by “renew” and who is meant by “together”?
I acknowledge that there is a major challenge in getting the Island economy and society back to some “new normal”. Given the dimensions of the task ahead, it warrants strong collective action. But do we want to go back simply to the way things were? Or is there an opportunity to rebuild better?
Recently Mary Jo Leddy (founder of Romero House, a refuge for refugees in Toronto) has written a new book entitled “Why Are We Here?”. It is a thought-provoking reflection on Canada and what we stand for as Canadians. It is an easy read, only about 100 pages. Yet, there is a profoundness in the questions she raises. Accordingly, it is worthy of our full consideration, particularly as we launch this communal effort to renew P.E.I.
The thesis of Ms. Leddy’s treatise is that we need to know what kind of country we want to be … and the kind of society we want to create. And then we have to muster the collective solidarity and responsibility to achieve it. Is it expedient to foster the same quality of reflection about our aspirations as a province? And then work towards them, together.
How can the Renew P.E.I. Together endeavour be utilized to build better than before? Can we grasp this opportunity to address broader, longer-term community objectives within this process? Yes, we want our economy to be up and running; yes, we want our social interactions to flourish once again; yes, we want our citizens, especially the most vulnerable, to be well cared for. Undoubtedly these objectives will be integral to the renewal process. But can we do more?
Are there values and a quality of life that we want the Island to be recognized for? Are there communal ideals that we want to aspire towards? Will we protect our land and water better than before? Can we as a province work more effectively for “the common good” of all? Will we celebrate our diversity and welcome newcomers to our shores more than before? How committed will we be in supporting our local harvesters, producers and small businesses? The Island has called forth a number of storytellers over the years, but what will our overall sustaining narrative be? It is not that we need to be a great province; rather in the words of Mary Jo Leddy it is better to strive to be a GOOD province. Then together, we could define what that goodness would look like.
Let us advocate that Renew P.E.I. Together encompasses a discerning look to the future and not to the past, as things once were. Then folks will look back at these times of Island renewal and remark enthusiastically, “they built better than they knew”.
Gerald Gabriel is a member of Community Development Associates.
