I used to know of a Canada that upheld and enshrined Magna Carta also known as the Great Charter of Freedoms. A Canada founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law. I remember a Canada where citizens had responsibilities and rights that extended to protecting and enjoying our heritage and beautiful nature that Almighty placed under our care. 

I used to know of a Canada where diversity was upheld, unity was the norm. A place where people combined forces to achieve big dreams beyond imagination. 

I remember a Canada as the  country that vouched for abolition and emancipation of slavery. Creating underground railroads that guided slaves as they traced the North Star seeking freedom they could not get beyond the southern border.  

I  remember Governor Simcoe John Graeves, when he abolished slavery in the 1700s. I remember the great defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. I remember when Major General Sir Isaac Brock captured Detroit alongside First Nations led by chief Tecumseh in 1812. 

I remember when Americans burned down Government house and parliament building in Toronto commonly referred to back then as York in 1813. It is still vivid in my mind when major General Robert Ross led an army from Nova Scotia that torched and burned the Whitehouse in Washington DC.  All these victories were attained through comradery and unity. That is the Canada that I remember.  A Canada where one's problem was an entire society's burden. 

So where did we go wrong? When did we replace unity with divisive ideologies? How did we replace love with hatred? How did we move from humanity to beings without empathy or feelings for what my brother or sister is going through? 

We were there when they used politics of synicism to split and divide us. We were there, when they usurped power for their own selfish gains. We were there when they misappropriated tax payers blood sweat and tears for their own luxurious benefits. We were there when they hiked the cost of living and raised interest rates but we never lost hope. 

Our resiliency and Determination keeps driving us to a common destination of hope. The destination that Martin Luther King Junior described as "the mountain top". The destination that Nelson Madiba Mandela forsaw and forgave his oppressors.  The destination that drove President Abraham Lincoln to be self taught because he believed in a true change. The destination that Terry Foxx fought for and chased until his last breath.  The destination that inspired great minds like Dr. Wilder Penfield, Mathew Evans and Henry Woodward, Alexander Graham Bell among others. 

If you yearn to reach this destination of hope with me,  then I invite you to rekindle your candle of hope because these dark times are about to pass. There is joy that comes in the morning to those who are hopeful. Do you believe in hope? 

Joshua Okello
204-312-7902 
Jokello46@gmail.com