Canada must meet its challenges with ambition and resolve: Senator Mohamed
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As a newly appointed senator, I find myself reflecting on my Canadian journey from arriving stateless to serving in one of Canada’s highest democratic institutions. My lived experience is that of a former refugee, a woman of colour and someone who has spent more than 25 years working on the ground addressing the gaps that policy too often overlooks. I ask myself: how can I best use my voice and my vote to help shape a more equitable, integrated and future-ready Canada? How best to do this when Canada’s — and the world’s — political, economic and social systems are under stress and too many Canadians are facing deepening inequality, a fraying social fabric and global instability?
Canada’s Senate is built to rise above partisan spin and focus on substance — to scrutinize, strengthen and help future-proof the laws of this country. With the 2015 shift to an independent appointment process, the Senate has become more independent and more representative — but that only matters if we use our independence to drive bold, evidence-based decisions.
Canada’s challenges are not isolated: housing affordability, youth unemployment, trade, climate change, Indigenous reconciliation, health care — they are interconnected. To tackle one, we must consider them all. That demands not just new policies, but also a new mindset. And it requires political courage — something far too rare in a political system built on short-term wins between elections.
We are beginning to see glimmers of that courage. Bill C-4, the Making Life More Affordable for Canadians Act, takes critical steps to provide direct relief to those being squeezed by inflation and economic uncertainty. These supports are lifelines. For low-income families, seniors and young people just starting out, these measures can be the difference between stability and despair — and they are an important first step. True affordability demands structural change that puts people before profit.
Alongside it, Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, is a nation-building blueprint. It reduces internal trade barriers, increases labour mobility and modernizes infrastructure planning.
If we are serious about building for the future, the Government of Canada must prioritize youth employment as an economic emergency. As a nation, we are at risk of abandoning an entire generation — one that is educated, diverse and ready to lead, but too often locked out of meaningful work. The cost of inaction is not just economic, but it is also a rupture of trust that could take decades to repair. Economic recovery must prioritize young people, or it is not recovery.
Canada has risen to meet difficult challenges before. When Canadians have chosen integrity over inertia, we have redefined what is possible — at home and on the world stage. Lately, I am worried. Have we grown hesitant? Is our ambition dulled? Has our voice on global issues faded? If we are serious about reclaiming Canada’s leadership — and I believe we are — it must begin with our domestic choices. Equity, broad-based participation and long-term fiscal and policy planning are the foundations for global competitiveness and investor confidence.
This is the role of the Senate: to look beyond the headlines, to resist reactive politics and to legislate for a Canada that does not just survive, but also thrives across generations.
I am proud to sit in a diverse Senate among people with deep expertise and deep conviction. We do not all agree. But we share a belief that this country is worth the hard work.
This moment in our history calls all Canadians. We need more ambition, more collaboration and more resolve. We have the tools. We have the talent. And increasingly, we have the will. We can meet our challenges with clarity and courage.
As I take my place in the Senate, I feel what so many Canadians feel right now: determined, fiercely hopeful and ready not just to imagine a better Canada, but to work hard to help build it.
Senator Farah Mohamed represents Ontario. She is a former refugee and a social impact leader with 30 years’ experience championing the economic advantage of investing in girls, women and youth in Canada and globally.
This article was published in The Hill Times on July 9, 2025.
As a newly appointed senator, I find myself reflecting on my Canadian journey from arriving stateless to serving in one of Canada’s highest democratic institutions. My lived experience is that of a former refugee, a woman of colour and someone who has spent more than 25 years working on the ground addressing the gaps that policy too often overlooks. I ask myself: how can I best use my voice and my vote to help shape a more equitable, integrated and future-ready Canada? How best to do this when Canada’s — and the world’s — political, economic and social systems are under stress and too many Canadians are facing deepening inequality, a fraying social fabric and global instability?
Canada’s Senate is built to rise above partisan spin and focus on substance — to scrutinize, strengthen and help future-proof the laws of this country. With the 2015 shift to an independent appointment process, the Senate has become more independent and more representative — but that only matters if we use our independence to drive bold, evidence-based decisions.
Canada’s challenges are not isolated: housing affordability, youth unemployment, trade, climate change, Indigenous reconciliation, health care — they are interconnected. To tackle one, we must consider them all. That demands not just new policies, but also a new mindset. And it requires political courage — something far too rare in a political system built on short-term wins between elections.
We are beginning to see glimmers of that courage. Bill C-4, the Making Life More Affordable for Canadians Act, takes critical steps to provide direct relief to those being squeezed by inflation and economic uncertainty. These supports are lifelines. For low-income families, seniors and young people just starting out, these measures can be the difference between stability and despair — and they are an important first step. True affordability demands structural change that puts people before profit.
Alongside it, Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, is a nation-building blueprint. It reduces internal trade barriers, increases labour mobility and modernizes infrastructure planning.
If we are serious about building for the future, the Government of Canada must prioritize youth employment as an economic emergency. As a nation, we are at risk of abandoning an entire generation — one that is educated, diverse and ready to lead, but too often locked out of meaningful work. The cost of inaction is not just economic, but it is also a rupture of trust that could take decades to repair. Economic recovery must prioritize young people, or it is not recovery.
Canada has risen to meet difficult challenges before. When Canadians have chosen integrity over inertia, we have redefined what is possible — at home and on the world stage. Lately, I am worried. Have we grown hesitant? Is our ambition dulled? Has our voice on global issues faded? If we are serious about reclaiming Canada’s leadership — and I believe we are — it must begin with our domestic choices. Equity, broad-based participation and long-term fiscal and policy planning are the foundations for global competitiveness and investor confidence.
This is the role of the Senate: to look beyond the headlines, to resist reactive politics and to legislate for a Canada that does not just survive, but also thrives across generations.
I am proud to sit in a diverse Senate among people with deep expertise and deep conviction. We do not all agree. But we share a belief that this country is worth the hard work.
This moment in our history calls all Canadians. We need more ambition, more collaboration and more resolve. We have the tools. We have the talent. And increasingly, we have the will. We can meet our challenges with clarity and courage.
As I take my place in the Senate, I feel what so many Canadians feel right now: determined, fiercely hopeful and ready not just to imagine a better Canada, but to work hard to help build it.
Senator Farah Mohamed represents Ontario. She is a former refugee and a social impact leader with 30 years’ experience championing the economic advantage of investing in girls, women and youth in Canada and globally.
This article was published in The Hill Times on July 9, 2025.