Hello, I’m Nick Debrey.

I’m a first generation Canadian. My mother is from Great Britain; the proud daughter of a British naval officer who served in the defence of freedom in WWII. My father fled the brutal reality of communism in Hungary and arrived alone in Canada at the age of 17. From a rural farming community upended by socialism, my father’s pursuit of a free country in which to live, work, worship, speak without fear of reprisal  has shaped my life and worldview. In choosing Canada, my parents bequeathed to me a rich inheritance. This trust—and the profound gratitude I feel for their sacrifice—is part of the call to action that I, and many others, are hearing at this time in history.

As a child growing up in Toronto, I was privileged to be among the first students to benefit from the newly instituted French Immersion program. After school, I embarked on a circuitous vocational path that led me through experiences in retail, ATM repair, driving transit, executive sales, and stand-up comedy;— (to say nothing of my dreams of professional wrestling). For over a decade, however, I have taught French to junior high school students;—by far my best gig.

“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” (Mike Tyson)

While it appears that many of the ideals that drew my parents to Canada are being pushed to the wayside; to ignore or be overwhelmed by the needs of our country at this time would be to abandon hope and neglect duty. As a son, husband, and father, I am motivated to see this generation pick up the baton passed to us and move cooperatively in preservation of those principles and in defence of those who need us. Previous generations placed a value on citizenship in a free country over the benefit of the material wealth of Canada’s rich resources. While the future is unknown, there can be no doubt that the cost of preserving a free society will always be personal. The People’s Party of Canada is aptly named. Artificial designations must not be allowed to obscure the values that we share, or divide the people of Canada.

Newly landed in Canada, my father remembers searching for a place to buy a postage stamp so that he could write to his mother and assure her of his safe arrival. While technology has altered the frontiers of communication since then, the desire to reach out to one another and share the truth remains. Like my father, I hope to reach out to those who love Canada as I do.