Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good evening and thank you to both mayors for your attendance today and for your participation in this important study.
I would like to start off with you, Mayor Dilkens. I'm going to start off with a statement that seems so obvious, but I think it bears repeating.
As an elected official, as you are and as I am, you represent the people who supported you and voted for you in the same fashion as you do for those who did not.
In your particular case, you represent all the citizens of your city; those who followed health measures and those who protested against health measures. While you may not personally agree with the positions of those who protested, you respected their minority opinions nevertheless.
You did not demonize those individuals. You did not stigmatize those individuals. You didn't call them names. You didn't call them racists or misogynists, or use the type of language that any elected official shouldn't be using to those who you don't agree with, unlike our Prime Minister. Our Prime Minister used that very divisive language. You specifically stayed away from that language and you didn't pour fuel onto the flame.
Would you agree with that statement?