Rynor: This is the "convoy" that everyone in Otawa should support

Invite a fleet of chronically dissatisfied One event, preferably celebrating Canada Day, was a 12th grade graduation ceremony at Notre Dame Catholic High School in Ottawa earlier this week.

This is a "unique school.

" Pandemic slows down the school's principal, J.P. Cloutier, in the auditorium of radiant graduates, family and friends. "It never happened," said Principal Clouthier, praising the 76 students who worked hard to overcome "the toughest year of education in history." And then some.

In ethnically, socially and economically diverse schools, many of these young adults have graduated from high school and carry the kind of luggage that many of us read and pick up. I was sick. Or sit in a hot tub outside the Capitol and do a round.

The young man who was there to see me cross the stage is just one example. In addition to the pandemic that put us all in a loop, he also endured more than two years of life in an emergency home (hotel room) with four brothers. He was often absent from school to care for the youngest children so that his mother could get a job as a personal support worker. He was stoic for over four years as bureaucrats clashed, red tapes were stretched and entangled, permits were given, then revoked, and his father stalled as he tried to join his family here. It was a bittersweet irony that Dad finally did it. I arrived at Ottawa Airport just a few hours shy to see his son graduate. But he will come here this fall to see his notable boy head to college to study software engineering.

The valedictorian of this typical Canadian event spoke of maturity and eloquence about sacrifice, patience and success. His parents said, "I have escaped from the civil war and political struggle in Myanmar so that I and my brother can live in Canada.

" They will never feel the gentle touch of their parents. He never laughs hysterically with his brother and never sees the sunrise in his hometown, "he said. I have never been given the opportunity to accept a high school diploma.

If the protesters were sitting with these young men at the graduation ceremony, they would hear all shades, stripes, types of children roaring, applauding, and growling. prize. In essence, Canadian colors. They are also people who may appear at our bedside as doctors, personal support workers and nurses in the future. For those of your protesters looking for a lawyer, you may have noticed the name of a student who trotting with a lucrative award from an Ottawa law firm.

You may have missed this demographic from the truck cab last winter. This is because many of these young people and their parents were literally afraid to show up downtown during the occupation.

Many people in the metropolitan area have family members and paid invoices, but many, by dancing, barbecuing, and forcibly closing many stores and services. For young people, this fall they were raising nest eggs for higher education.

So you may not have seen it the last time you visited Ottawa. Again, your presence may have discouraged many residents and tourists from attending the Canadian Day celebrations that we all look forward to. requirement.

However, there is a caveat here. They are on the way. And if we really want to change in Canada, this cohort is a convoy that we all should support.

BeckyRynor ​​is an Ottawa writer.