WEST CARLETON – Kanata-Carleton MP Karen McCrimmon hosted a virtual town hall yesterday (March 4) via a Facebook Live Event answering questions on the pandemic, priorities and the federal government’s next budget.

The Liberal MP hosted a live video town hall twice yesterday, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., to field questions from her constituents and provide what answers she could.

West Carleton Online dropped in on the 2 p.m. virtual town hall.

Most of the questions related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in which she provided the latest news on the rollout that she was aware of.

“I think we’re in for the end of winter, a couple more months of tough sledding, and then things will get dramatically better,” McCrimmon said. “We won’t have everyone vaccinated by the end of summer, but we’ll be close. But even people being able to get out and go for a walk when the weather warms up is going to help a lot.”

Not only for the physical self, but the mental self as well, McCrimmon said.

McCrimmon encouraged those struggling with their mental health under current conditions should visit the website wellnesstogether.ca where visitors can access support 24/7 with no fees through a variety of different methods including but not limited to one-to-one counselling “and it’s excellent,” McCrimmon said.

MCrimmon was asked what the federal government’s priorities were coming out of the pandemic. She felt childcare and pharmacare were way up there, and these priorities will help give the country an economic boost.

“This is exactly the direction we need to go,” McCrimmon said, “We need to increase the gross domestic product by 1.2 to 1.3 per cent. The only way to do this is to get more women in to the workforce. How do we do this? Childcare and pharmacare.”

Several viewers wanted to know when the country would see its next official budget. The last time the Trudeau government tabled a national budget was on March 19, 2019 – 577 days ago. McCrimmon said she didn’t know the exact date but expects one soon.

“We don’t know until they announce it,” McCrimmon said. “I think end of March, mid-April. That’s what I expect.”

The event lasted almost two hours.

“I wanted to say thank you for coming and joining us today,” McCrimmon said. “There are brighter days ahead and I so miss you all. I surely look forward to the day I can go out and talk to you in person.”

McCrimmon hosted a second live event later that evening, and has already scheduled a new event for Tuesday, March 16 at 7 p.m. McCrimmon will host another Virtual Town Hall with a focus on Environment and Climate Change and featuring special guest panelist, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson. For more information on this event, click here.