FIRST PERSON | I didn't vote for 21 years. Trump's attacks on my homeland and Canada changed everything | CBC News

CBC - 17/04
Fernando Ameth Pinzon has been a Canadian citizen since 2004 but has never voted. After fleeing his native Panama following the U.S. invasion in 1989, life in Canada felt safe and stable. Voting for change seemed unnecessary. Then, U.S. President Donald Trump began threatening Canada's sovereignty and that of his home country for a second time.

This First Person column is the experience of Fernando Ameth Pinzon, a Panama native raised in Montreal. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.

I'm 41 years old, I've been a Canadian citizen since 2004, and I've never voted.

I never felt it necessary. For me and my family — all of us immigrants from Panama — our dream to be together in Canada had been realized. The worst that could happen was behind us.

In 1989, when I was six, the United States invaded my home country in a bid to overthrow former dictator Manuel Noriega. While I was too young to understand the political implications, the memories still come flooding back in a blur — helicopters roaring...
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