She’s Canadian now

The bestowing of honorary Canadian citizenship on Malala Yousafzai is an incredibly lovely and apt gesture on the part of the federal government. Malala, a teenage advocate for girls’ education, who was shot by the Taliban a year ago in her native Pakistan, was largely expected to win the Nobel Peace Prize. However, the Peace Prize is more appropriately awarded to honour someone’s lifetime work or achievements. Malala’s life and work have just begun.

An honorary Canadian citizenship is a rare privilege, and with its bestowal on her, Malala at the tender age of 16 joins the ranks of such luminaries as Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who was responsible for rescuing hundreds of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust after the Nazis occupied Hungary.

In an address to the World Bank, Malala said that spending money to fight terrorism by buying more weapons is the wrong approach—that money should be spent on pens, books and schools so that all children can be educated.

Malala is a brilliant girl and an extraordinarily brave child. She is the public face and voice of thousands of girls just like her who struggle against tremendous odds for their educations and their futures in Third World countries. She has not let her fame and all the prizes heaped on her turn her head or distract her from her cause.

Let’s welcome this newest Canadian citizen with pride.