Newsletter - Feb 25, 2026
To everyone in Oakville East celebrating Lunar New Year, I wish you health, happiness, and prosperity in the year ahead. This season is a time to gather with family, reflect on new beginnings, and honour traditions that strengthen our community.
As Ramadan begins, I also want to extend my warmest wishes to those observing the holy month. Ramadan is a time of reflection, generosity, and spiritual renewal. The values of compassion, service, and community that define this month enrich Oakville East throughout the year.
We are also navigating a world that is changing quickly. Global instability and rapid technological shifts are reshaping how countries protect their security and economic interests. In response, Canada’s new government has launched the country’s first Defence Industrial Strategy, a long-term plan to strengthen our sovereignty, modernize the Canadian Armed Forces, and build up our domestic defence industry.
Canada’s defence procurement system must evolve to meet today’s rapidly changing security environment. Canada’s new government is strengthening our approach by prioritizing Canadian companies, Canadian materials, and Canadian innovation. The Defence Industrial Strategy will streamline processes, provide more predictable demand for industry, and ensure that the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces have the equipment they need, when they need it.
This is a generational investment in Canada’s security and economic future. Over the next decade, the strategy positions Canadian industry to take advantage of major procurement and capital investment opportunities, with the goal of creating up to 125,000 high-paying jobs and increasing defence exports. A new Defence Investment Agency will help accelerate processes, support small and medium-sized businesses, and ensure more defence contracts are awarded to Canadian firms.
Canada’s new government is also reinforcing our strengths in sectors such as artificial intelligence, aerospace, space technologies, and critical minerals. By strengthening domestic supply chains and supporting Canadian intellectual property, we are ensuring that defence investments deliver lasting economic benefits at home while equipping our Armed Forces with world-class capabilities.
I also had the privilege of witnessing the incredible spirit of our athletes at the Olympic Games. Team Canada brought home 21 hard-fought medals, and I could not be more proud of the determination and resilience they showed on the world stage. Watching them compete with such pride in the Maple Leaf was a powerful reminder of what unites us as Canadians.
Here in Oakville, we had even more reason to celebrate. I want to recognize our local athletes who represented Canada with excellence and heart: Brianne Jenner and Kristen O'Neill in women’s hockey, Evan McEachran in freestyle skiing, Kaylie Buck in snowboarding, and Madeline Schizas in figure skating. Our community is incredibly proud of each of them for inspiring the next generation of athletes and for representing Oakville and Canada with such distinction.
From celebrating important traditions in our community, to strengthening Canada’s security and prosperity, to cheering on our athletes, these moments reflects both who we are and where we are headed.
Recent Highlights
Lunar New Year on the Hill
Earlier this week, we welcomed the Year of the Horse on Parliament Hill! Happy to celebrate Lunar New Year alongside friends and colleagues, including familiar faces from Oakville East, like the WeSing Canada team, the Oakville Table Tennis Association and the C&C Youth Chinese Folk Orchestra whom we had the chance to see perform.
Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics
It was wonderful to meet Oakville’s very own @maddieschizas and Olympic Wrestling Champion @eweebz to cheer on Team Canada at the #milanocortina2026 Winter Games. Honoured to stand with Canada’s incredible athletes, @avankoeverden and Dave Shoemaker, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee, as we celebrate Canadian excellence on the world stage.
Munich Security Conference
Earlier this month, I attended the Munich Security Conference. A full few days of meeting with dozens of counterparts, diving into Arctic security, standing firm on Ukraine’s sovereignty, and advancing Canada’s national security priorities.
Vatican Visit
Met with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin and His Excellency Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher at the #Vatican. We discussed our respective foreign policies. I also thanked them for the Vatican’s efforts to facilitate the return of Indigenous artifacts to communities in Canada
