Dear constituents,
Happy back to school to all the young people who are going back to school or are still continuing their studies virtually! We’ve all come a long way since the start of the pandemic, and I’m pleased to see that we are bouncing back and resuming in-person activities.
While this is good news, it’s important that we all continue to do our part to reduce community transmission and keep ourselves and our families, friends, and neighbours safe. We all look forward to taking part in our favourite activities and events once more, but let’s remember to stay safe and continue following public health guidelines so that this return to school season continues on the right path.
We have more options than ever before to keep ourselves safe. One of those ways is to make sure you are up to date on your COVID-19 vaccine. The Province of Ontario has expanded eligibility for COVID-19 booster doses to children 5 to 11 years old, increasing the number of people who can access the vaccine and protect themselves from severe illness and hospitalization. Health Canada has also recently approved a booster shot for the Omicron variant that will also soon be available.
You can also keep yourself and others safe by:
This year, I decided to spend Canada Day focusing on my constituents. I was eager to go into the community and meet the residents of the Ottawa–Vanier community face to face. There were so many memorable moments on this full day of celebrations.
Pictured with colleagues Mayor Jim Watson, MPP Lucille Collard, Councillors Mathieu Fleury and Tim Tierney, and federal colleagues, MP Marie-France Lalonde and MP Yasir Naqvi.
I started the day at the Mayor’s Celebration of Seniors, helping to serve breakfast to our city's seniors' community. It was great to see so many smiling faces!
Meeting residents alongside MPP Lucille Collard and Councillor Tim Tierney.
It was a great opportunity to catch up with the folks at Pineview Community Association, Beacon Hill North Community Centre, and the seniors’ community in Vanier.
Pictured with colleagues Lucille Collard, MPP for Ottawa-Vanier, Mathieu Fleury, Councillor for Rideau-Vanier, alongside Indigenous artists and the organizers of the Chief Pinesi Portage at Rockcliffe Project.
It was an honour to join the Alqonquin Anishinaabe People in Ottawa–Vanier for the unveiling of a ceramic mural of Chief Pinesi, a revered guardian of these lands. It was an eye-opening experience and a humble reminder of our collective responsibility as stewards of these lands and the health of our environment.
This mural was made possible thanks to grant funding from Infrastructure Canada for the Chief Pinesi Portage at Rockcliffe Project.
It was great to connect with so many happy, motivated young workers through the Canada Summer Jobs program. Many of this year’s workers will continue in their current roles or in new exciting opportunities.
Our community achieves a great deal each year thanks to the Canada Summer Jobs program.
This year, the program opened the way to 700 local jobs in Ottawa–Vanier. Thanks to all who shared their experiences with the program this summer and who joined us to celebrate a successful summer!
Pictured with Mayor Jim Watson, Councillors Rawlson King and Tim Tierney, and Member of Provincial Parliament, Lucille Collard.
In August, I held my first Ottawa–Vanier community BBQ event since before the COVID-19 pandemic. It was great to see so many smiling faces after more than two years!
During the event, I awarded several hardworking individuals in our community with a Queen's Platinum Jubilee emblem pin in recognition of their volunteerism and tireless work in service of others. To the recipients, thanks again for your work supporting our community!
Thank you to everyone who came out to the Ottawa–Vanier Community BBQ and worked to make it such a great success! It was great to see so many of you on this sunny day!
Do you know someone whose acts of service deserve to be commemorated with a Queen's Platinum Jubilee pin? You can nominate someone by sending an email to [email protected].
Patro d’Ottawa created study grants and awarded them to the Canada Summer Jobs employees who showed the most “Patro” spirit this summer. Congratulations to this summer’s grant recipients and all CSJ workers!
This summer, I had the opportunity to present a study grant on behalf of the Patro Foundation to seven exceptional and dedicated young employees who have stood out due to their personality and their positive representation of the Patro brand.
The recipients were hired through the Canada Summer Jobs program and were a big help with Patro d’Ottawa’s Patro-lympic camp this summer.
Pictured with Joe Thottungal, owner of Coconut Lagoon Restaurant, with Yasir Naqvi, MP for Ottawa Centre.
Chef Thottungal and the Coconut Lagoon restaurant are a gift to our community and to Ottawa’s vibrant and diverse food scene!
Rebuilding after a devastating fire was no easy task, but Joe and his team found a way to rebuild and come back better than ever. Their grand re-opening event was a massive success, and the amount of interest and positive buzz are a testament to Chef Thottungal’s culinary vision. I could not be happier to see one of my go-to spots on St. Laurent Blvd is back!
Pictured with my fellow MPs from Ottawa and the National Capital Region and the Young Liberals at the Ottawa Capital Pride Parade on August 28.
Last weekend was the colourful, highly anticipated finale to Ottawa’s week-long Capital Pride Festival. After two years of virtual events, it was great to see downtown Ottawa come alive again to celebrate the diversity of Ottawa’s 2SLGBTQI+ community and honour the important fight for equality and protections for 2SLGBTQI+ individuals.
Last weekend was the colourful, highly anticipated finale to Ottawa’s week-long Capital Pride Festival. After two years of virtual events, it was great to see downtown Ottawa come alive again to celebrate the diversity of Ottawa’s 2SLGBTQI+ community and honour the important fight for equality and protections for 2SLGBTQI+ individuals.
Our government is a supporter of Capital Pride: We invested $150,000 in Capital Pride to install and display artwork by talented 2SLGBTQI+ artists in the centrally located Confederation Park! To learn more about this funding, see the Government of Canada supports Ottawa’s 2SLGBTQ+ tourism sector.
Pictured with Prime Minister Trudeau, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, Marci Ien, and fellow MPs from Ottawa and the National Capital Region for the announcement of Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan.
On August 28th, 2022, I also joined Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, Marci Ien, and my fellow MPs from Ottawa and the national capital region to announce the first 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan in Canada’s history.
Canada’s first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan is a historic milestone built on decades of activism and partnerships with 2SLGBTQI+ communities. Supported by a Budget 2022 investment of $100 million, the Action Plan will strengthen inclusion and achieve equity for 2SLGBTQI+ communities in Canada and abroad.
The Action Plan builds on several initiatives we have put forward since 2015 to address the disparities faced by 2SLGBTQI+ communities and to build a safer, more inclusive country. We will continue working with 2SLGBTQI+ communities to create a country where everyone can be their true, authentic selves.
To learn more about the 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, see the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan 2022.
The Survivor’s Flag raised at Parliament Hill. The Survivor’s flag was created in memory of the thousands of children whose lives were changed forever in residential schools, some of whom never returned.
On August 29th, I joined the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, the Hon. Marc Miller, and residential school survivors for the raising of the Survivor’s Flag on Parliament Hill.
The Survivor's Flag was raised in memory of the Indigenous children who were separated from their communities and sent to residential schools, some of whom never home. We must acknowledge this part of our history if we are to heal and move forward on the path of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
Everyone deserves a safe place to call home, but as we’ve seen in our community and in communities across our country, far too many Canadians face the unacceptable reality of homelessness.
A place to call home and recovery go hand-in-hand to help break the cycle of relapse and homelessness. Our government is committed to reducing and eliminating homelessness once and for all.
We are helping those who are helping others: the Government of Canada has nearly doubled its investments in the Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, from $2 billion over 9 years to nearly $4 billion in federal funding since its launch. We launched the program in 2019 to support the goals of the National Housing Strategy by preventing, reducing, and eliminating chronic homelessness in Canada.
These investments will provide longer-term certainty for the organizations doing the important work of uplifting their communities and will give them the support needed to address homelessness and its root causes.
To learn more, see the Government of Canada nearly doubles funding to address rise in homelessness.
Canada is not immune to the unspeakable tragedy of gun violence, and Canadians are calling for swift and strong action on gun control. That’s why we are taking action to keep communities safe from gun violence. This is about supporting the survivors of gun violence and protecting our communities.
As of August 19, 2022, a temporary ban on the importation of restricted handguns is in effect. The temporary ban will last until the national freeze on handguns under Bill C-21 comes into effect.
No single measure can tackle gun violence on its own. This ban is part of our comprehensive plan to keep firearms out of our communities, which includes banning over 1,500 military-style assault weapons and investing in prevention programs to tackle the root causes of gun crime.
The Public Order Emergency Commission is inviting Canadians to share their experiences and comments related to the Freedom Convoy protests and occupation that occurred in January and February of this year. The call for submissions is open to everyone, whether someone participated in the protests, were affected by them, or have views about the protests or use of the Emergencies Act.
The commission will study various aspects of the occupation, including the circumstances that led to the declaration of emergency and the measures taken in response to the declared emergency in February 2022.
You can submit your comments to the commission in English or French by sending an email to [email protected]. Advice and guidelines on preparing your submission can be found on the Commission’s website.
In order to have your response to be read and considered by the Commission in time for the first public hearing on September 19th, you must submit your comments in early September. Submissions will continue to be accepted until the end of October.
For Food Assistance
For food assistance, you can access help from the following food banks in the area:
Other Resources:
To connect with other resources in the community:
Contact us!
The Honourable Mona Fortier, P.C. M.P. Ottawa-Vanier
Constituency Office:
233 Montreal Road
Ottawa (Ontario)
K1L 6C7
613.998.1860
[email protected]
