United States' Special Representative to Muslim Communities, Farah Pandith, was in Canada between Nov. 15 and 17 “engaging” with Muslim communities and organisations on behalf of her boss, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

On Nov. 16, at a meeting with ethnic media hosted at the US Embassy, Ms. Pandith spoke about her mandate and what her government is doing to reach out to Muslim communities in the U.S. and around the world.

It is no secret that the city of Ottawa possesses some of the most talented Muslim youth aspiring to bring positive change in the world. Marya Jaleel is one of them.

Marya is preparing to embark on a journey that will change the lives of a significant number of children in a country far away from her hometown of Ottawa. She is one of a number of ambitious young people who will be spending their summer in the heart of India --a rural community outside Udaipur to be precise ”“ building a school and volunteering at an orphanage.

Are you a proud Canadian? Are you satisfied with the government? Is there anything you would change?

Remember how we felt when we heard that Jack Layton had passed away? What a loss for Canada! And then a second set of tears flooded our eyes when we read his letter. Throughout Canada, his words resounded; filling our hearts with pride and inspiring us to action.

His message was full of love, hope and optimism: “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world,” his letter read.

Are you optimistic about the future of Canada?