Hon. Frank McKenna speaks in Saint John to support The Salvation Army

Hon. Frank McKenna, former Premier of New Brunswick and Canadian ambassador, spoke in Saint John today to support The Salvation Army’s second annual Hope in the City Fundraising Breakfast. The event drew a crowd of approximately 700 to the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre’s Great Hall for a morning of networking, entertainment and education all in support of The Salvation Army’s Community Response Unit (CRU) based in the Port City.

Born in Apohaqui, NB, McKenna served as Premier of New Brunswick for a decade (1987-97), earning three consecutive majority governments, including a historic sweep of all 58 seats. He became ambassador to the United States in 2005 and was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2008.

In the private sector, McKenna is in demand as a corporate director, currently serving as the Deputy Chair of TD Bank Group. He is also the Chairman of Brookfield Asset Management and is on the board of Canadian Natural Resources. He has also been Chairman of the Board of CanWest Global and served on the Boards of Noranda, Shoppers Drug Mart and General Motors.

“The theme of the breakfast is hope, and I don’t think that there is anything more important in people’s lives than hope,” McKenna said. “Despair doesn’t get you very far, but hope provides fuel to the system and gives great vitality to a community. Hope is what The Salvation Army is all about.”

McKenna contrasted the negative focus of the mass media, with statistics comparing present day to other points in history, illustrating that mortality rates and crime rates are significantly down and life expectancy and standard of living is significantly up.

“The simple fact is that in spite of this constant influx of bad news, the world truly is a better place,” he said. “We just don’t stop very often to look at it. As a result of the improvements that we’ve made in society and the good work of people like The Salvation Army and others, the world is dramatically better place.”

McKenna also tempered his message of hope with the fact that many people today are still struggling, marginalized by the society in which they live.

“No matter how much we have improved the lot of humanity, we still have incredible needs to meet,” he added. “And it’s not as if we don’t have the means to meet these needs. In this country, people deserve praise because they truly have stepped up. But we still have more work to do today.”

The CRU is a mobile canteen based in Saint John that allows The Salvation Army to quickly respond in times of crisis all over New Brunswick. During its first six months of operation, the CRU responded to three major fires and the Perth-Andover flood, assisting affected residents and supporting first responders. The CRU also provides weekly service from November to March to five priority neighbourhoods in Saint John to help those living in poverty.

The morning was made possible thanks to numerous sponsors who partnered with The Salvation Army for this event. Among the top level – or Platinum sponsors – are: Telus, TD, Telegraph Journal, JD Irving Limited, Irving Tissue, Mrs. Jean E. Irving, A. M. Burgoyne Insurance.

“We are excited to once again celebrate our Hope in the City Fundraising Breakfast in Saint John,” says Major Alison Cowling, Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army. “Thank you to everyone for making this event a tremendous success. You are helping us continue to provide the basic necessities of life – food, shelter and clothing – to those marginalized in our community.”