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He began with this: “This is a time of shame and sorrow. It is not a day for politics.” He condemned the violence that had seen King killed, but also what he called “the violence of institutions; indifference and inaction and slow decay.” He rued the fear he saw.

Then he said: “Yet we know what we must do. It is to achieve true justice among our fellow citizens.”

He finished with, in part, the following: “But we can perhaps remember — even if only for a time — that those who live with us are our brothers, that they share with us the same short moment of life, that they seek, as do we, nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and in happiness … surely we can begin to work a little harder to bind up the wounds among us…”

Well, this also is a time of shame and sorrow, we too know what we must do, and it’s throw open the gates of this magnificent country to our suffering Syrian brothers. We should get as many Syrians here as want to come, as many as we can bring.

I’m not naïve.

There is a shadow over people from this part of the world. They hail from a country where oppression, violence, jihad and war are now a way of life. Some — a few — might actually pose security threats, and in ordinary times, they might not pass Canada’s screening.

Yet I believe there’s little to fear from the Syrians.

I have sufficient confidence in them to believe that once they are safe, not fighting for life every minute of every day, they will be grateful, embrace the freedom that peace allows and will be good citizens.