Warren (Smokey) Thomas
OPSEU/SEFPO President
Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida
OPSEU/SEFPO First Vice-President/Treasurer
On May 9, join OPSEU/SEFPO as we celebrate Mother’s Day. It’s an important time to show our love and gratitude to the mothers, and maternal figures, who’ve touched our lives in meaningful ways.
During the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve witnessed the enormous efforts of mothers who’ve sacrificed their own health and wellbeing while juggling family and work priorities. Many of these mothers work on the front lines of the pandemic, risking their lives to keep Ontario safe and healthy.
Mothers are heroes at work, and at home too. It is most often women who leave the workforce to care for children or loved ones who fall ill. With children home from school due to COVID-19 closures, many mothers have taken on additional unpaid labour as at-home teachers and caregivers during this difficult time.
For many, Mother’s Day is also a difficult time of solemn reflection and remembrance for mothers who have passed away. Today, we pay tribute to these mothers and the legacies they have imparted in us all. We honour the many mothers, and grandmothers, who we’ve lost during the COVID-19 crisis. This virus has taken too many lives.
But we remain hopeful, as we work to build a better, safer Ontario – one where women, and mothers, are at the centre of the economic recovery.
This past year has been tough on everyone. But when the weight of the world becomes unbearable, it is mothers who lighten the load, by bearing the brunt of it on their own shoulders. They do it without demanding reward, and without receiving enough thanks.
So, to every mother and maternal figure, thank you. We recognize your heroism today, and every day of the year.
In Solidarity,
Warren (Smokey) Thomas
OPSEU/SEFPO President
Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida
OPSEU/SEFPO First Vice-President/Treasurer