“Many students were undoubtedly looking forward this year to their high school graduation – the opportunity to celebrate a momentous occasion and to have a final farewell with friends who may be leaving to pursue post-secondary studies elsewhere or to seek other opportunities.

The restrictions that New Brunswickers have followed to reduce the spread and transmission of the Covid19 virus have been successful. We can all be proud of that and we are fortunate that we lead the country in lowest per capita numbers for infections and in recovery. It will be crucial to continue to follow the advice of Dr. Jennifer Russell and the Public Health team.

Adversity often breeds creatively and we have seen that through efforts by nursing homes to permit family members to see their loved ones through glass partitions or drive by birthday greetings for children who cannot have a traditional birthday party.

Perhaps we should call upon the ingenuity of our people for their ideas of how we can celebrate graduations and farewells while keeping everyone safe and respecting social distancing requirements.  We cannot and should not underestimate the importance of graduation and related activities to the mental health and self-esteem of our graduates. It’s also a momentous occasion for parents, family and friends. Let’s put our heads together and figure this out.”

Kevin Vickers

Leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Party