Today, my country, for the first time experienced what some are calling a terrorist attack. One man, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, shot and killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, a 24 four year old reservist, while he stood guard over The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The shooter then made his way over to our Parliament and started shooting there too – injuring 3 other people before he himself was shot and killed.
Canada is known the world over as a peacekeeping country. We go in and help countries. We go in and try and stop people from killing each other. Today, one of our own, a home grown something – I hesitate to say terrorist – tore into our heart. He created violence in the heart of our democracy. And it’s made us afraid.
What makes me afraid though, and what also disturbs me, is that there is someone or a group of someones here in my country who are preaching hate. There is someone who is teaching people to hate Canada, and the people in it. And this is not okay. And worse, it makes me feel powerless. What can I do, or the average person do, to keep Canada safe?
The only answer that I have for that, is to be kind. It seems silly I know, but whoever is preaching this hate is picking on the people who are outcasts, who are loners, who are easy pickings. To combat this, that means we have to be kind to those people. We have to be inclusive. We have to get people involved in their communities, in the business of our country because if someone loves where they are, the country they live in, the people in their country, they’re less likely to attack it. So let’s be kind Canada. Let’s be overly kind because someone is luring our countrymen to extremism. And we won’t stand for it.
The other thing that the world needs to remember is that Canada will not be intimidated. Canada does not back down. And if you think that we do, or that we will, learn your history. It proves otherwise.
Canada won’t ever be broken or beaten. Take note world. #CanadaStrong.
You Have Reached Cait 