Mr. Speaker, during the pandemic, as the third wave crashes on our shores, our hearts go out to the families of the more than 24,000 Canadians who have passed away. However, our hearts also go out to people making a difference in our communities.
In New Westminster and Burnaby we thank the nurses, doctors and health care workers at Royal Columbian Hospital and Burnaby Hospital. We thank the first responders: the New Westminster firefighters and Burnaby firefighters, who also organize events to help people struggling in our community; the Burnaby RCMP; the New Westminster police; and the B.C. Ambulance Service. We thank people in community organizations, like the New Westminster food bank, the Burnaby food bank, New West Helping Hands in New Westminster and Caring During Covid-19 Burnaby/New Westminster. We thank front-line workers, who are providing groceries, pharmaceutical products and essential services during the pandemic, and small business people.
We thank them all, and to thank them all, let us recommit to building back better and building a society where nobody is left behind.