Malala Yousafzai, honorary Canadian, challenges Canada to lead on education
OTTAWA — The irrepressible Malala Yousafzai, the teenage Nobel Peace Prize winner who famously survived a Taliban bullet in 2012, delivered an enduring message of hope, perseverance and inspiration Wednesday — and did it as an honorary Canadian citizen.
Yousafzai used her newfound membership in the Canadian family and towering presence on Parliament Hill to apply a little friendly pressure, calling on the country to go beyond honorifics and take a global lead in ensuring more girls can go to school.
“I know where I stand,” Yousafzai said during a moving speech to a joint session of Parliament that was punctuated frequently by thunderous standing ovations.
“If you stand with me, I ask you to seize every opportunity for girls’ education over the next year.”