‘Happy’ New Year

This year has been one of challenges and quiet glimmers of hope. It’s been a year where I dared to aim higher, putting my name forward for public service, fueled by a belief that change is possible when thousands of people in my riding, and beyond, were sickened by the lack of empathy, humanity, and leadership from their MP. Though I lost, it’s not the end of that journey. It’s a chapter in a story still being written.

Professionally, 2024 was a turning point. What started as Mathew Jammaz Business Consulting in 2023 grew into a full-fledged marketing company, Unicorn Pony. This milestone was about vision, perseverance, and knowing that anything is possible when you pour your heart into it. Whether that’s politics, career, or anything else we endeavor to accomplish.

But above all else, I am thankful. For my family, my three girls, who remind me every day what truly matters. Their love and laughter have been my anchor in a year that felt like a new era, one where the Canada I grew up in has somehow turned upside down and is complicit in the degradation of the rules-based world order. Complicit in the annihilation of a defenseless people.

Many of us are preparing to take a break, gather with loved ones, family, friends, and reflect on 2024, perhaps even for a moment tuning out the world. But I ask you to remember those who can’t. In Gaza, there are no holiday breaks, no celebrations, only death and destruction. It’s a reality too many are numb to and too few speak out against. Although many people I know feel it’s too idealistic to say anything (or perhaps too risky?), ideals are what inspire action and progress. Even small efforts, conversations, advocacy, and acts of kindness can ripple outward in ways we may not immediately see (and there’s no risk in defending what’s right).

So, what’s my New Year’s resolution? To continue striving to be a voice for the voiceless. To use my platform, however small, to amplify what needs to be heard. To help where I can, and, frankly, to stop caring if what I say makes you uncomfortable. The truth isn’t always easy to hear, but it’s necessary.

Thank you to every single person who helped shape this past year, good and bad, because all of it leads to the present moment. There’s always a silver lining, no matter how hard life can be sometimes. For me, one of those silver linings was all the amazing new people, like-minded kindred spirits, that I met, and that have inspired me. And perhaps, even the ones that have allowed me to inspire them.

So I’ve given you my resolution for 2025, but my wish for it is that it’s a year where compassion wins over indifference, where humanity takes its rightful role in our politics, and where we all find the courage to stand for something bigger than ourselves.

‘Happy’ New Year.

- Mathew Jammaz