Canada's youth hope for the best
Last Updated: June 25, 2010 8:40pm
A delicate situation.
A situation which raises the question of national security.
When Canada became a part of the Group of Eight, it agreed to one obligation; Canada must host the G8 Summit when the time came. This is our time. And the decision was made to host it in Toronto.
As per tradition, this year’s G8 and now G20 Summit will bring in protestors by the thousands. Protestors pose a major threat to the established security system in Toronto, dedicating focused time to finding just one minor crack in security, and breaking it open until it has become a gaping hole; a breach in security.
The G20 Summit approaches threateningly. It mocks our capacity for national security, stimulating the stretch of one’s imagination to find ways for our security protection to go wrong. And the thought occurs; will there be terrorism? Will innocent lives be lost?
The answer lies in the hands of those whose duty it is to serve and protect— the police force. The G20 presents a strain on its resources; however precaution upon precaution is being taken to ensure the safety of the city. What with the no- fly zone being put up surrounding Toronto’s most vulnerable structure to terrorism— the CN Tower, and security fences being erected around buildings which will be amidst the epicenter of the protests, Toronto can only wait and hope that these protestors will decide to behave more civilly than usual.
But will they? Probably not. On record, the G20 Summit is one of the most controversial conferences to this day. And this can hardly be avoided with the topics being discussed there. Financial matters? Economic matters? These are undoubtedly among the most controversial matters debated upon in Canadian Parliament today, in the discussion of issues like welfare, taxes— issues, really, that force one to take a side on, and therefore issues which can only be settled to the dissatisfaction of many.
With all this danger, however, comes a well- intended occasion during which leaders of the world collaborate and strive to make the planet a better place. And in recognition of all the effort going into Toronto’s safety and preservation during the 2010 G20 Summit, one can only hope that the event proves worthwhile…
- Sasen Efrem, Rebecca Etienne, Katerina Mizrokhi, Iffah Elnaz are part of YouthWorldIMPACT
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