The world needs more of Canada

O Canada, I feel lucky to call you home. A place where kindness is a virtue and not a weakness. A country that stands for peace and not war. You have shown the way to the world for the last 25 years and prior.

From nutrition, basic health and education to sanitation, hygiene, and reproductive health for other countries, you have stepped up and become the guiding force for helping others. While the world was involved in their own wars, you were the beacon of peace for the people. I know times are tough here at home, and it can be hard to not look inwards, but epidemics don’t follow world events, they just happen. 

Diseases like Tuberculosis (TB), AIDS and Malaria are far too common in middle-and low-income countries for us to imagine. The sad part is that a lot of times these diseases go undiagnosed. In 2023, about 1.3 million children and adolescents had TB but only 700,000 were diagnosed with it. Thankfully we have organizations like the Global Fund who are making investments in global health. 

Canada, you can also help by maintaining your support of $1.21 billion over the next three years and be a leader that you have always been. Like Bono said, “The world needs more of Canada.” 

Japneet Singh, Winnipeg, MB