News

By John Jalsevac

THUNDER BAY, Ontario, July 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – After several weeks spent walking through the visual monotony of the prairies, the Crossroads Canada walkers are thankful to have crossed into Ontario, and the so-called Canadian Shield, a section of Canada that is known for its great beauty, and thousands of fresh-water lakes.

“It’s great to be around some lakes for a change,” said Crossroads Canada organizer Cyril Doll in an interview with LifeSiteNews.com

With a steady, warm West wind at their backs, however, the Crossroads participants made impressive time in the prairies.

“We walked 620 kilometers in the span of one week,” said Doll. “We usually do about 500.”

And with the added strength of one more member, 18 year old Tom Woodard of Calgary, who joined the group just this past week, the Crossroads team continues to mark of the miles at a machine-like pace.

Doll, and several others of the walkers whom LifeSiteNews.com interviewed all agreed that the level of support for the pro-life cause and for their cross-Canada walk was by far the highest in the prairie-province of Saskatchewan.

“Saskatchewan is a great province,” said Doll. “It gave us the best reception so far. Just about everyone who passed us gave us support. I can only really remember 3 negative responses the whole time, which was a big difference from Alberta and B.C.” In Regina and Saskatoon the participants picketed and prayed outside local hospitals that perform abortions. One of the only really negative incidents happened at the Regina hospital, after an unidentified person threw an egg at the group from an apartment window. No one was hit by the egg, however. 

Pro-lifers in both of the cities joined the group at the hospitals, and the Crossroads walkers agree that they have been thrilled to see local pro-life groups “energized” by the efforts of Crossroads.

Doll, who said that the walk has given him and the others something of a sense of the differences between the various parts of Canada, said that the reception so far in Ontario has been ambivalent. The Crossroads team just arrived in Thunder Bay Ontario today, where they will spend the weekend giving talks and drumming up donations.

While in Winnipeg the weekend before, the Canada Day weekend, the walkers stayed at long-time pro-life activist Maria Slykerman’s house, who told LifeSiteNews.com that hosting the Crossroads walkers was a very enjoyable experience.

“I think they’re a marvelous bunch of kids,” said Slykerman. “I felt that their presence gave the pro-life movement a boost, especially because they’re young, because that’s what people want to see.”

“When they were in the parish church, people were swarming around them.”

“They are happy people,” she said.

One element about all of the Crossroads walkers that is pretty consistent across the board, is their conviction that the time and effort spent on the walk is not only beneficial as far as immediate publicity for the pro-life cause is concerned, by that, if approached with the proper mindset, many of the hardships and difficulties of the walk are an opportunity to bring about a spiritual change in the country.

“That is our first priority,” says Doll.

For now, however, the walkers will keep on trudging. “We’re going great,” concludes Doll. “Our feet our getting stronger. Our calluses are healing. Our legs are getting stronger. The walker is getting easier and easier. We’ve been blessed with great weather.”

Crossroads Canada will finish on August 11 with a rally on Parliament Hill. The organizers and participants are exhorting pro-lifers to take the time to come out and show their support of the walkers, and for the pro-life cause in Canada.

Find out approximately where Canada’s Crossroads walkers will be by consulting their schedule at
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jun/07060810.html

Read previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage of the Canadian Crossroads walk:

  600 Miles Later Canada’s Crossroads Walk Still Going Strong: Walkers in Calgary for the Weekend
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jun/07060804.html

  Read Etienne’s Crossroads Walk blog:
https://www.prolifewalk.blogspot.com/

  Visit the Crossroads homepage:
https://www.crossroadswalk.com/

  and the official Crossroads blog:
https://crossroadswalk.blogspot.com/