We put out a lot of coverage of Canada’s National March for Life in Ottawa, but I have to admit it is impossible to convey all the great things that occurred from Wednesday evening through to Friday afternoon. It was the most energizing March for Life that most of us had ever experienced.
What was prominent throughout was the overwhelming presence of very enthusiastic youth who added high, positive energy to all the events. Many of them were inspired by the events and they in turn inspired each other and all others who participated or viewed the march activities.
For many of the students who stayed the full time, including attending the giant youth conference on Friday, you could see that it was a life-changing experience. It showed in their demeanor and their exceptional attentiveness by Friday to the incredible talks that they heard.
New pro-life leaders and positive social changers were formed in Ottawa simply by, in many cases, being exposed to awesome truth for the first time and knowing that they were not alone and thousands of others shared this understanding.
The brief video below shows just a tiny bit of what could have been a much longer video of many different scenes on Parliament Hill, during the March, at the evening Rose Dinner and during the Youth conference – all showing the same energy, enthusiasm and pure joy of so many of these youth given an opportunity to be exposed to and act on behalf of something of high ideals. They were challenged with things of great substance, which is not common these days, and they gladly responded.
The video starts with a few clips of youth during the march and ends with a few minutes of what was over an hour of lively singing led by Kathleen Dunn and her group Survived ‘88 after the march on the steps going up to Parliament.
Also, with LifeSiteNews being one the main sponsors of the march, I was given the special opportunity to address the 20,000 strong crowd. When my time came, due to the agenda having gone late, I had to trim my three minute speech on the fly to allow all the remaining speakers their opportunity to greet the crowd. For those who heard the trimmed speech and for any other readers who may be interested, I reproduce the text of the speech below the video.
Thanks to LifeSiteNews Development Manager Jon Fidero, who came up from Virginia, for carrying my 6-foot ladder all over the place as we raced from place to place so I could take high view photos of the activities on Parliament Hill and during the march. (See the 6th from last in March photos2 that photographer D’Arcy Grant snapped as we were running by him). We also owe much thanks to Robert and Sarah Du Broy, D’Arcy Grant and Patrick Craine for the many photos that they also contributed to the two photo journals.
Steve Jalsevac address on Canada’s Parliament Hill during the Ottawa March pre-march rally:
Welcome pro-life Canada!
You are here to speak up for the greatest of all human rights – the right to be allowed to live.
You are here to tell the Prime Minister, all Members of Parliament and ALL Canadians the TRUTH about abortion.
Your signs tell the truth about its terrible realities, the harm that it does to women, the damage that its culture of death does to our entire society. Hold those signs high – with determination!
Today, you are all truth warriors. But unlike the abortion promoters, ours is a message of true love. Telling the truth about abortion is an act of charity. Not telling the truth is unjustified negligence.
Yes, today we celebrate life, but much more than that we are here to demand justice for the greatest human rights violations in all of Canadian history.
This cause is worth giving your whole heart to.
But to do this work you need to be armed with the full truth – the truth not only about abortion itself but also about those who are behind the culture of death – the population controllers, the haters of religion, the natural family and traditional morality.
LifeSiteNews.com will give you all of this necessary information. Our international news service on life, family and related cultural issues serves millions of people and many organizations around the world.
We give you the big picture – so you will better understand your local and national battles, what it is that you are really up against and what you can do about it.
We are your truth servants – never afraid to report what must be reported because we care with all our heart and have a great passion for truth.
One of the great dilemmas of our time is deciding who we can trust on these matters of huge importance and controversy. Many persons and many leaders make serious errors in making these decisions.
Pro-life Canadian novelist Michael O’Brien, in his recent novel, The Father’s Tale, has a message for us about who we can surely trust.
A character in O’Brien’s novel says, “respect no man, despite his office, until that man has proved he will lay down his life for the truth.”
There are leaders in the pro-life movement who have shown that they would indeed lay down their lives for the truth. They understand the great the stakes in this war. They don’t just talk. They have walked the walk.
They have suffered for the truth. They are passionate for it. Trust them. Work with them.
Today you are part of this great cause. After this day, if you are not already involved, join one of the groups that are taking real actions to defend life and to help pregnant women in distress.
Please read LifeSiteNews every day to stay well informed.
If you stay with this commitment, you will be able to say at the end of your days, whenever that may be, I tried to defend the most innocent and helpless of all humans during a time of great need. I really did all that I could.
And your maker will say, regardless of your successes or failures, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Be of good cheer. Be not afraid.