The snowflakes twirl gently. The houses are decorated with their most beautiful illuminated garlands. The frenzy of the holiday season is felt in businesses. Christmas markets draw crowds. The preparation of desserts and meals has begun. The Christmas tree is nicely installed in the house.
As the holiday season festivities kick off here, in many places around the world, the situation is quite different. While we celebrate with our loved ones and enjoy the good food cooked with love by them, thousands of Ukrainians are without water and electricity. They are still the target of a rain of bombardments by the Russian army, which plunges the population into the most cruel uncertainty. Many families mourn the death of a loved one. There are also many families who will not celebrate this end of the year, because they have been forcibly separated because of this conflict. Women and children took to the road to seek refuge in a neighboring country while the men took up arms to fight.
Added to this is a hunger that continues to grow in the world, according to the UN. Indeed, between 702 million and 828 million people suffered from hunger in 2021. This is nearly 150 million more people than before the pandemic.
As a direct consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Europeans all have one word in mind: sobriety. The less affluent segment of the population is already cold as winter has only just begun. In addition, galloping inflation in recent months has increased the use of food banks. This means that children, like adults, do not have enough to eat and have to make heartbreaking choices. To further increase the burden, fuel prices have not stopped climbing over the past year, which considerably affects the purchasing power of households, particularly those with low incomes.
Several communities around the world, moreover, are slowly recovering from the devastating effects of the extreme weather events that have punctuated the past year. The African continent has been the most seriously affected by climatic hazards. Nigeria has been heavily affected by deadly floods, like Pakistan and Indonesia. Drought and famine are responsible for the deaths of more than 2,500 people in Uganda and more than 8 million in Ethiopia this year. People in Madagascar and Mozambique, among other places, were hit by at least six storms, causing nearly 900 deaths. Kenya has not been spared, because the country is going through a period of historic drought. Thousands of animals have died, depriving the population of an important source of sustenance.
In addition, here as elsewhere, thousands of people have lost their homes due to the violent forest fires that have ravaged several regions of the world, particularly in Europe and at home in Canada.
A few days before the new year, let us remember the suffering that millions of people are going through. Rather than rejoicing, feasting and eating, entire communities try to heal their sometimes very sharp and gaping wounds. I suggest that we spare a thought for all these women, these mothers, these men, these fathers, these children, these toddlers who are plunged into misery, who do not have enough to eat, sometimes in the dark, damp cold or oppressive heat.
Let’s take a moment to see how privileged we, Quebeckers, are to live with dignity and peace. Let us put aside our differences to help those who truly need our help, however close to us they may be.