Like so many Canadians I am saddened, disgusted and angry from the events in Quebec and Ottawa.
I have never supported sending our troops overseas as militia forces. I have and still support our troops doing their part internationally by the support that reflects Canadians ideology as peace keepers.
Unfortunately the decisions made under our democracy changed this and now that the genie is out of the bottle we must continue to support and protect our democracy in Canada.
I hope that Parliament repairs any damage in the Centre House from gunfire immediately.
Remove these scars and images that send the message that our freedom and safety has been damaged!
I find it extremely disturbing when I see images of those countries in the Middle East that lay in ruins. All the sweat and tears of the people who built these communities is a constant reminder of the cost of war.
How can it not push civilized people to feelings of anger and hatred?
I am saddened that our military are now “prisoners” of Canada.
A uniform that should be worn proudly by the people who stand on a wall to protect our rights and freedoms are being asked to hide their identity in public, in Canada.
Nobody, including myself, want the actions of this week to change us, but they have. We all carry the vivid images of 9/11 in our memories as if they happened yesterday.
The memories and images we saw in Ottawa are now imbedded in our memories.
So to say we will be unchanged by these events is not true.
These are serious events by people intent on instilling fear and threatening the unknown towards Canadians. In some degree it has changed the way we see ourselves in the world and we now know our freedom does come at a cost.
We are learning we are not immune or insulated from terrorism.
It is for these reasons I want our government to make the priority of safety, freedom and absent from threat by taking the rights and freedoms away immediately to Canadians known to authorities and under suspicion of radicalization.
Our democracy should not protect those people who have made a choice to turn their minds and hearts to evil.
Too many times (after the fact) we learn that the leaders of these groups hide themselves behind women and children to demonize the west’s actions of force.
We need to be reminded we are talking about mankind who have the ability to make choices independent of religion or government and with those choices come consequences.
The world is changing and so must the extension of rights and freedoms of what is described as “home-growns.”
It is appalling to think we are being pushed to return to darker times of guilty until proven innocent.
Jo-Anne Berezanski
North Saanich
