Today is World Teachers’ Day, a recognition of the great work that our educators do every day for our children and our communities.

Teaching isn’t just a job, it’s a calling. Those who work in education are responsible for preparing our children for the rest of their lives—they are quite literally developing our future.

As a former school trustee for nearly a decade, and as a husband and father of teachers, I’ve seen first-hand the great work that our teachers do. Not only do they show great dedication to guiding our children, they also take time to run extra-curricular activities and athletics to further their students’ growth as human beings.

The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t been easy on anyone, especially teachers. They must continue to manage their classrooms and teach their lessons with a multitude of new restrictions and risks that they were never trained for or imagined. I applaud the hard work that teachers across our community are doing to keep our children safe while also offering them the best education they can.

On behalf of the Parliament of Canada, I want to thank all of our teachers here in Saskatoon—Grasswood for their commitment to the learning and growth of our students, particularly during this difficult time.

Thank you, and Happy World Teachers’ Day!