One of the highlights of each year for me as a Member of Parliament is attending high school graduation ceremonies. I find these ceremonies refreshing and hopeful.

This year, of course, traditional graduations have been delayed or cancelled or adapted and downsized. This is clearly a disappointment for all of you graduating this year.

The pandemic has interfered with an important and special moment in your life, but it’s also created a different kind of special moment for you and your generation; one that is also intersecting with a call for social change amid the tragic death of George Floyd.

Your life is coinciding with a watershed moment; one that will set off a transformation in the way we interact with each other, in how we deal with the international community, and in what we view as important in life.

You are fortunate. Your generation is being given the rare opportunity to make a difference at a pivotal point in the evolution of our society. It has been placed at the centre of a tectonic shift; one that is economic, social and political. 

How will recent events change our future?

Here are some possibilities.

Community will become more important. We’ve seen how people have helped each other in this pandemic and, at the same time, how they’ve come together to denounce racism and demand change. Cooperation has not only become essential for progress, it has been inspiring to witness.

I predict that providing service to the community through working with non-profit groups and in government will now seem more important and attractive for many ambitious young people who want to make a difference.

We have seen through the pandemic what is truly important; among other things health care, and especially seniors care, where urgent efforts will be needed by governments to ensure that our seniors get the care they deserve.

For all of you who are adept with the new technologies, information systems will be central to building a new healthcare infrastructure and service model. Think of telemedicine.

We’ve heard a lot about populism these last few years, and by populism I mean the distrust, even animosity, toward experts and their hard-earned expertise. COVID-19 has reminded us of the vital place of expertise, including scientific expertise, in allowing us to live in a safe, well-organized and free society.

Finally, for those of you who are interested in business, we’ve heard a lot in the last couple of decades about globalization; about the death of value-added manufacturing here as supply chains move their centre of gravity overseas. We’ll guess what? There is now a new awareness of the importance of domestic production in a world where hands-on quality control is vital and where countries, even our closest allies, can suddenly impose export controls to ensure they can meet the needs of their own populations. This new fact of life will lead to a revival of domestic manufacturing; to the strengthening and expansion of domestic supply chains.

It is natural and understandable to be disappointment at the recent turn of events. But disappointment bears no fruit. It is neither productive nor constructive and cannot take us to where we need to go. 

It is vital to put any disappointment aside and think about how you’re fortunate to be at the centre of a moment in history. You have a first-row seat on a period of great change that coincides with the launch of your academic and professional careers. It’s an opportunity to jump on the ice and shape the play as it develops.