Thank you very much for the question.
Last year I was included in a Hershey Canada campaign for International Women's Day. I had the honour of having my face on a chocolate bar that you can still find in your local convenience store.
In response, Canada's dear friend Tucker Carlson did a segment on me on Fox News, and it ran across the Fox News syndicate. Over the course of the next three weeks, I had hundreds of death threats, hateful comments and other horrible things said and written about me, including private information about my family and my personal life published for the world to see.
I still have not recovered from that experience. I broke down on my partner's shoulder time and time again. I had security guards in front of my home for seven days straight who had to make sure that no one came up to my home who was not pre-approved. That is an extreme example. What happened to me was a fairly unique time and place, but it's happening to more and more trans and queer people all across this country.
We underestimate both the economic impact and the mental health impact of an environment where hate is normal again. Parents and families are going to have to flee certain provinces if nothing changes. We tell our young folks so often that they are going to be able to change the world; well, they're going to get bullied more often. If they're bullied more often, their ability and desire to contribute to our economy and to public life is going to decrease.
I do believe that we are creating a more and more poisonous and toxic environment, both in Canadian society and in our political sphere. That's why we need our elected officials. That's why we need everyone in these spaces to lift up their voices. If this becomes our new normal, it's not just going to be us who are impacted; it's going to be all marginalized folks whom we're trying to kick this door open for.