I’ve seen life change a lot since I was a kid, and in the last 10 years it feels like it’s changed faster than ever. Smartphones, Uber, Netflix; these didn’t even exist when I was a young mom.

But nothing could prepare me for how much life has suddenly changed in the last two months.

I wish with all my heart that this never happened, that nobody got sick, that nobody died.

When we are through the health portion of this battle, our Prime Minister and his officials will have to answer for why our country was slow to act.

COVID-19 is a tragedy in no uncertain terms.

But as we turn to talking about reopening Canada, I have to admit something.

I don’t want to go “back to normal”.

I don’t want to go back to where we defined wealth by what objects we possessed.

I am brought back to my childhood where we had a lot less, but we made sure it lasted longer. Most of the time we bought things that were made in Canada.

I want to build a Canada where our children aren’t worried about “more”, because we’re giving them “better”.

I don’t want to order take-out as much as I thought I needed to in order to maintain my hectic schedule.

I don’t want to go back to ordering everything on Amazon just because it’s convenient. Let’s take a pass on cheap Chinese products, and turn to far superior Canadian items that were overlooked.

I want my children to have a better life, but I don’t believe that means they need to have more “stuff”.

As I watch cheap items gather dust, I want my kids to understand the difference between a need and a want. To cherish our family rollerblading on the street and bike rides in the park.

Progressives think that the only way for things to get better is to keep “progressing” even if it’s not really progress at all.

Amidst the fear of COVID-19, we’re learning humility and realizing what we’ve left behind: a country where we cared about our elderly neighbour and bought them groceries, shovelled their snow and cut their grass.

Conservatives know that we can’t just leave caring for our neighbours in the hands of government.

Technology and government programs cannot replace real community.

When social distancing is over, I hope we remember the world that we found at home with our families.

I hope we recognize the need to protect and nourish our families and communities and create a self-sufficient economy that puts Canada first.

Years from now we will look back on COVID-19, I hope we recall how it forced us to redefine what was plenty, and we will hold tight to the lessons we learned.

I hope that as we move forward from this crisis we will have the humility to admit that hindsight is indeed 2020.