Published: 348 days ago
" Canada should return to its role as a peace keeper so that we can regain the respect that we used to hold in the eyes of the international community.
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By Abubakar N. Kasim, Toronto
A birthday is a special occasion to look back at the road one has travelled in life. It is an opportunity for reflection upon the ups and downs and to examine the life-lessons learned along the way. It is also a day for appreciating the many blessings one has been granted and a chance to be grateful for those precious people in our lives.
Most importantly, it is a chance to look ahead with hope and optimism as one envisions a brighter tomorrow. It is that hope that re-energizes and helps to strengthen the commitment to improving one’s life, society and the world.
Canada day is a day that belongs to all of us. A day for all Canadians to stand up together as a family, to be thankful for the many blessings we have, to celebrate our diversity and to make a commitment to hold on dearly to our principles of justice and equality which are the cornerstones upon which our nation is built.
Our country’s immense diversity and rich cultural mosaic are certainly something to be celebrated. There is nowhere else in the world where so many different and diverse peoples live in peace and harmony.
Indeed, our diversity is perhaps our greatest strength and it is imperative to work collectively in order to maintain the cohesiveness of our nation so that we don’t lose focus down the road and abandon the values and principles that have made us of who we are.
Many people choose to immigrate to Canada to enjoy a life of liberty and freedoms – freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of thought and belief, freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association as guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Indeed, I have travelled thousands of miles and across an ocean to live in this great country. As a Canadian who has lived in a country where such rights don’t exist, I am able to more fully appreciate and cherish these rights and freedoms.
While I am grateful to be in Canada, I am deeply concerned about where we are heading especially under the current Conservative leadership.
I can’t help but feel like a passenger on a bus where the driver has taken a wrong turn on the highway. And despite the attempts of those on board to persuade him to change course, the driver still insists that he knows where he is going.
Canada used to be respected as a peace broker but has lost its sense of direction. It has abandoned its values and started siding with the schoolyard bully.
It has allied itself with the United States administration and invaded Afghanistan resulting in much of the country being reduced to rubble. Hundreds of thousands of innocent Afghans have died as a result of this senseless war. Furthermore, billions of dollars have gone into this unpopular war against a nation which has never waged war against Canada and was not behind the September 11 terrorist attacks. Canada has also lost 158 personnel in this unpopular war.
Despite such high costs, Afghanistan is still unstable and has more militancy than ever. The question that is on my mind and on the minds of Canadians is: How can Canada be involved in this immoral act?
Canada under the leadership of Stephen Harper has shifted its stance towards international affairs. His government has decided to stand behind Israel whether it is right or wrong, a move that is contrary to the long held principle of our nation which has always acted neutral and thus gained deep respect around the world.
This is probably the main reason behind Canada losing its permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council in 2000 under the leadership of the Conservative government.
Paul Heinbecker, Canada's former ambassador to the UN and a leading critic of the government's foreign policy, said many of Canada's decisions — including decreased African aid, its support of Israel, and its stance on climate change and peacekeeping — are at odds with the majority of the international community. "It's a big disappointment, and it's a shock," he said. (
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2010/10/13/policy-cost-canada-103.html)
Canadians with a conscience should not take things for granted. If we don’t safeguard our principles, a time will come when we will wake up and find ourselves in a different country than the one we thought we were in.
When you lose something, it is very hard to get it back. Building something takes a lot of skill, experience and effort. However, any fool can destroy things without difficulty.
It is amazing how far we have come as a nation. Our achievement in building a prosperous and multicultural nation that consists of people of immense diversity is a sign that humanity can certainly overcome its differences and live in harmony.
The world can learn from Canada’s example in that peoples from all around the world can coexist and get along even when we agree to disagree.
However, we must return back to the core values which have made this nation great and we must right our course.
Canada should return to its role as a peace keeper so that we can regain the respect that we used to hold in the eyes of the international community.
It is imperative on this special day to reflect on our place in the international community and not get carried away by extreme ideology that will only complicate matters and won’t bring lasting peace to the Middle East or anywhere else. The distance we have travelled thus far is incredible and we should have the self-assurance that we can continue on a prosperous road despite a few bumps along the way.
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