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The winning tagline for the Covid crisis seems to be “We’re in it together.”

It might be new as a rallying cry, but it’s always been true. We just didn’t talk about it before.

This pandemic is not the ‘great equalizer,’ as Madonna declared from her $5,000, petal-filled bathtub. Those who were already struggling are being hit the hardest. And nothing short of an earth-crushing asteroid can equalize a world with this much inequality (although smart social policies, fair corporate taxes, strong public services, compassionate immigration laws, and transformative climate policy would be a start).

But this pandemic is the ‘great exposer.’ It’s showing us just how close to the edge many middle-class and working class Canadians have been pushed. And it’s proving that a better future is possible.

For many Canadians, concerns about eviction, access to food banks, and income assistance had never touched them directly. And a ‘precarious job’ was thought to mean some combination of low pay, no security, and no benefits. 

This is a wake-up call: it could be any of us. And one catastrophic event can turn almost all jobs into precarious ones. 

None of this precarity was widely-recognized as a problem until it became a problem for ‘everyone’.

In a flash, people who felt they had secure paycheques, suddenly didn’t. My niece with a union job in Toronto’s booming film and TV industry. My friend, the massage therapist and owner of a wildly popular specialized clinic, that takes bookings two months in advance. Another friend who works in a dental office (Who could imagine a time without a demand for dentists?). It was a stretch to think that any of these jobs could vanish, one at a time. Let alone losing all of them overnight.

Yet, the system has been cracking – and those cracks didn’t happen overnight. For decades, we’ve seen governments cutting public services, squeezing the most vulnerable, and trying to convince all of us that those cuts wouldn’t hurt us a bit. And year after year, the evidence of families’ growing financial hardship has been mounting.

Last fall, personal bankruptcies were up 10% over the previous year. Headlines in early March shouted that Canadians own $3 trillion in personal debt. With an average household debt of $72,950, we’re carrying $1.76 in debt for every dollar of disposable income. And average debt per consumer increased 2.7 per cent in 2019, compared to a year earlier.

Here’s the thing: people who live paycheque to paycheque are in a world of pain when those paycheques end. Families drowning in debt can’t float when they can’t cover the monthly minimum. 

And now, the rug has been pulled out from under people – and there’s no floor to stand on. 

“No shit,” say the millions of Canadians whose lives keep getting harder thanks to conservative governments, like Doug Ford’s and Jason Kenney’s – governments that remain intent on cutting the public services and social supports that we need now, more than ever.

But none of this precarity was widely-recognized as a problem until it became a problem for ‘everyone’. And by ‘everyone’ I mean the stock market. And corporations who suddenly don’t have consumers. And governments facing a collapse in revenues.

Overcrowded shelters have been overwhelmed, underfunded, and stretched thin for so long that many simply can’t provide the safety and security that every human being deserves.

Now that it is a problem for ‘everyone,’ we suddenly see that governments can act swiftly to help people, when they have the political will. 

Governments around the world are proving that it’s possible to provide direct financial assistance to help people who are unemployed. In mere weeks, basic income went from being a great hope for many activists and the fantasy of Andrew Yang’s long-shot candidacy… to a cheque that Donald Trump is signing. (Of course, truly universal basic income will take much, much more than a one-time cheque in the midst of a global crisis). 

At the same time, municipal governments are proving that it is possible to take real action to provide emergency housing for people experiencing homelessness – and proving, by doing so, that so much more can and should be done to improve long-term access to housing for everyone. Because overcrowded shelters aren’t just a health hazard today; they’ve been overwhelmed, underfunded, and stretched thin for so long that many simply can’t provide the safety and security that every human being deserves.

The truth that this crisis exposes is that we can do better. 

We don’t have to settle for a politics of austerity and precarity. We don’t have to live in a country that pushes working families to the brink. We don’t have to ignore the needs of vulnerable people in our communities, with the hope that it “never happens to us.”

We can do better. We can build a future where safe and affordable housing is a right and a reality. Where working families have secure incomes, benefits, and pensions. And where the health and safety of everyone is protected, on and off the job. 

The crucial test will be what happens after. Having exposed the precarity that people face and proven that governments can do so much more to help, what happens when this is over? What happens to that political will, when certain politicians try to take us back to ‘normal’? 

Pandemic or no pandemic: we’re in this together. We always have been. And this time, let’s make sure we don’t forget it.

We’re all safely keeping our distance from… well, everyone. But thanks to video calling, so many things are still possible. 

Working from home? Check. 

Connecting with family? Check.

Hosting cocktail hour a little more often than ever before? Check.

And handing out awards for the year’s best in political advertising? Check.

We’re thrilled to announce that our collaborations with clients have won five honours at the Pollie Awards (aka the Oscars of political advertising).

Hosted by the American Association of Political Consultants, the Pollies were originally scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the year’s best political creative advertising from across North America. But due to the ongoing pandemic, this year’s awards were announced earlier this month during the Pollies’ first-ever virtual ceremony.

The NOW team has a long record of Pollie wins and, this year, our clients have once again been recognized for excellence in five categories. 

Government of British Columbia – Retrofit

Gold Award for Television in the Public Affairs / Issue Advocacy Division, Statewide

Health Sciences Association of Alberta – Health Care Awareness

Silver Award for Best in Show, Overall, Public Affairs / Issue Advocacy Division

Canada’s NDP – Federal Election Campaign 2019

I’ve heard a lot of people saying, “we’re all in this together.”

And it’s true.

None of us is untouched by what’s happening across the country and around the world, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. We’re all worried about the health and safety of our loved ones, our co-workers, and the people in our communities. And from the NOW family to yours, we hope you are safe and healthy, wherever you are.

When people say we’re all in this together, it gives me hope. Because that sense of solidarity is exactly what we need to get through this crisis.

People are recognizing that we all count on frontline workers. From health care workers to grocery store clerks, cleaners to child care workers and so many more, working people are the heroes of this crisis. Many of our economy’s lowest-paid and hardest-working people are being seen and acknowledged, for the first time. It’s been a long time coming (just ask anyone who’s campaigned for a $15 minimum wage in recent years). Let’s carry that forward.

People are recognizing, in a deeper and clearer way, that the most essential things in life can’t be done alone, even at the best of times. That’s why we need universal public health care, great public schools, and strong public services in general. And now, more than ever, people see the importance of the services we’ve built together – and how cuts make it harder to respond to a crisis. Let’s remember to keep building and improving them so they’re always there when we need them.

People are also recognizing governments do have the capacity to help people. Public policy ideas – like boosting wages for workers, supporting the unemployed, and helping prevent homelessness when families are on the brink – were written off as impossible by too many people just weeks ago. Now, they are not only possible; they are necessary and urgent. The lesson is that governments can – and should – play a positive role in people’s lives. Let’s never let the politicians forget that.

And, now more than ever, people are recognizing that we all count on each other. Not just to respect public health directives, but to help everyone get through this. Whether it’s offering help to a neighbour, or cheering for health care workers from our front lawns and balconies, people have a desire to show that we’re in it together. It’s amazing to witness.

At a time when so many question marks are hanging over people’s livelihoods, that’s exactly what we need to do: show our solidarity. Because it’s our solidarity that will get us through this crisis, together. 

But I also worry.

Will every frontline worker get the proper protections to keep them safe? We all need to use whatever power we have to ensure that workers receive decent wages, protective equipment, and paid sick leave – now.

Will every government in Canada provide the supports that working people urgently need? We all need to speak up to ensure that support for working people is delivered fast and frequently throughout this crisis. 

Will COVID-19 be used as an excuse by governments to cut workers’ protections and ignore collective agreements? We need to organize to stop any government from using this crisis as a pretext to rip up the rights that workers have fought for, earned, and won.

And will our opponents argue that we need more private sector solutions to keep up with demand? That’s the wrong answer. Instead of cutting or privatizing, we need to invest in strong public services so they are always there when we need them most – no matter who we are, how much we earn or where we live. 

So while we all do our part to practice physical distancing, let’s not isolate ourselves from the needs of our communities and the people around us.

Now more than ever, we need to be there for each other. To keep our voices raised. And to not shut up, even though we’re shut in.

Because, after all, it’s true. We’re all in this together. 

If you’re feeling stressed about the future, you’re not alone.

From the impact of the climate crisis on our communities, to just paying the bills and making ends meet every month, there’s a lot to worry about. But taking action can help turn that worry into something positive and productive.

It’s the difference between being scared about the future – and working to help change it for the better.

The NOW team is thrilled to work with PSAC to create this ad and to help protect public services. Along with an incredible crew from our production partner, Play Creative, and an amazing photographer in Adam Reiland, we spent the final week of January filming in Whitehorse, Yellowknife, and Iqaluit. 

These are communities separated by 3,300 kilometres. But they’re connected by strong public services and thousands of dedicated public sector workers. And meeting these workers – the members of PSAC – was the highlight of our week.

We met a man who set up a food bank in his community’s school so that kids can help themselves to food on their way home – no questions asked. Because no one should ever have to ask for food.

We met firefighters whose gloves freeze almost instantly, when they turn on the hose to put out a blaze. 

And we met an Elder dressed in beautiful traditional clothing who lit the Qulliq, a traditional oil lamp, and welcomed us to her community. Like every family and Elder in the north, she relies on the services that public sector workers provide, day in and day out.

If you ever happen to forget why it’s so important to protect public services for today and tomorrow, just go meet a public service worker. Thank them for the work they’re doing. And tell them that you’ll help pressure our governments – municipal, provincial, territorial, and federal – to make their jobs better.

Whether you’re in a remote community in the north, or in downtown Toronto or Vancouver, you’ll meet the most amazing people. And you’ll know exactly why public services are worth fighting for – and worth protecting for the future.

Heather Fraser is President and CEO of The NOW Group.