The Love of Family

I love families. I love family gatherings. It's part of our soul.

I come from an extremely close tight knit Metis family community.

I clearly remember my father would fight for any disadvantaged ethnic group coming into Canada.

When any family, including our new Canadians suffers a devastating loss, community support is there... We always have support for our new Canadians.

When we step forward, whether through financial help, emotional support, childcare, education, sports, or simply by standing beside them, bringing them in to our homes as family and listening, the burden no longer falls on one set of shoulders. It does not crush the mother, the father, or most importantly, the children. Instead, the weight is carried together with us.

It is no longer a single grieving parent, battling impossible odds. It becomes a collective effort to secure a future for our children.

Jewish leaders, Christian leaders, and Muslim leaders alike call for peace and respect, for the children of Abraham and for every child beyond. What matters most is not faith, ethnicity, or heritage. What matters is that every child is safe, and every child has the chance to live a life better than our own. That is our ultimate goal: for our children to thrive, to surpass us, and to experience a brighter future. And they will.

Our children feel stability because others step in where a father no longer can. A mother gains the breathing space to heal, instead of drowning under impossible responsibilities. The family begins to dream again, not just survive.

When a community answers grief with action, compassion, and consistency, a family does more than endure tragedy. They recover their dignity, renew their hope, and gain the strength to rebuild their lives. Most importantly, they are given the chance not only to succeed, but to live better, fuller lives.

My indigenous mother and father would say to us kids, the Canadian Italians are very similar to us, they understand us.