Anna Murphy

Tonight, we use the light of the shamash to illuminate all eight candles on the hanukkiah, each flame bringing light to lessons meant to be carried far beyond these eight days.

Hanukkah reminds us that light is meant to be shared; especially in times of darkness, when hate seeks to extinguish what is good and instead ignite forces that threaten to consume and destroy.

In such moments, neutrality is not an option.

As the candles burn down tonight, may their flames remain ignited within us, and may we continue to share that light with one another, always.

Skate Canada’s decision to withdraw all sanctioned events from Alberta through 2030 carries real economic consequences for Calgary and communities across our province.

Major sporting events fuel our visitor economy.

They support hotels, restaurants, artists, venues, event workers, and thousands of local jobs. When those events disappear, everyday Albertans pay the price.

At the same time has shown principled leadership by refusing to host events where athlete safety, dignity, and human rights are undermined.

In response, Premier Danielle Smith claims the organization is “out of touch with Canadians,” even as this government continues policies and rhetoric that isolate Alberta from national partners.

This outcome is not accidental, it is the predictable result of choices that signal exclusion instead of belonging.

Economic prosperity and human rights are not competing priorities, they are inseparable.

As we light the first candle of Hanukkah, my heart is heavy with both grief and hope.

This is a season meant to honour light, resilience, and the courage to endure in the face of fear and persecution.

And yet, this year, that light feels especially fragile.

Hanukkah teaches us that light persists even in the face of violence, oppression, and attempts to erase a people’s existence.

That lesson feels painfully relevant as we mourn lives lost and confront a disturbing rise in antisemitism, hate, and intolerance within our neighbourhoods.

Silence is not neutrality.

It is not enough to say “never again” only in moments of remembrance or when it is convenient.

It must be a commitment we uphold with unwavering resolve.

Tonight, as I sit in the glow of the menorah’s light, I recommit to active allyship, to speaking out against hate, and to standing with Jewish communities in the face of fear and rising hostility.

Chag Sameach. May light outlast hatred.

Late last night, Premier Danielle Smith and the United Conservative Party chose to force through legislation that invokes the notwithstanding clause to override the Charter rights of transgender and gender-diverse Albertans.

It is an extraordinary and deeply alarming use of power to target vulnerable Canadians.

This legislation puts lives at risk.

It is legislation that will cause lasting, generational harm, especially to young people who are already struggling to survive in a climate of hostility and rising hate.

Using the notwithstanding clause pre-emptively, and to curtail the rights of those who too often are pushed to the margins of marginalization, represents a profound departure from the values that built Alberta and define Canada

Transgender and gender-diverse individuals are our neighbours, our family members, our coworkers, our classmates and teammates.

Canadians deserve to thrive in neighbourhoods that are safe, welcoming, and affirming, they should have unwavering confidence the Charter, and they deserve to live without the fear that a government will single them out for exclusion or erasure.

Politicians can invoke the notwithstanding clause, but they cannot extinguish human rights. These rights endure because people defend them and in this moment, Albertans are again called to stand together as neighbours to one another to defend the safety, dignity, and equality of all who call our province home.

To every transgender and gender-diverse Albertan, please know that you are valued, you are loved, your existence matters, and you deserve a province, and a country, that protects your rights, not one that strips them away.

We will not stop fighting for you.