Courage in Canada

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Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.

Early this week something happened that made world news. There was a tragedy in Toronto, Canada, when a mentally unbalanced individual drove a truck down a street and sidewalk killing a number of innocent people. These people had done nothing wrong but were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The driver who committed this violent act was a person who must have had mental health issues. The man stepped out of the vehicle and was confronted by a police officer. The officer had his weapon drawn and the killer tried to provoke him to shoot. He was holding a cell phone in his hand trying to get the officer to believe he had a gun. The officer showed courage and good training and told the offender to drop what he was holding and proceeded to take him down and handcuffed him. The man had wanted to die but the officer made us proud by doing his job and saving lives.

This police officer made me proud because he did his duty. He risked his life to protect others and did what he was trained to do. All over the land, people have seen police shootings and have had a lot of negative things to say about these events. This situation let a nation see what good people can do in the face of a crisis. The Canadian police officer has made us proud of his service. He reminded us of the brave men and women who risk their lives to protect us and they do it right.

This was a terrible situation and it called for a person to exercise restraint and perform his duty to protect. What a story and what pride for his fellow officers and the country as a whole. In a world where we are facing so much negativity, this positive act made us respect the law and those who enforce it. My best to our Canadian neighbors and a thank you for a job well done. I give my deepest sympathy to all who lost loved ones and my thank you to the officer who has made us believe that our civil servants do the right things.

Beg to differ? Agree to disagree? Send topical submission to, subject line: The Soapbox for consideration.

Sen. Lou D’Allesandro


Sen. Lou D’Allesandro is from Manchester and has represented the people of District 20 for 10 terms. You can reach Sen. D’Allensandro at He is a regular contributor to Manchester Ink Link with his NH Senate Report.