People of Canada Upset and Fearful

Extraterrestrial beings contacting us and giving us news of their existence is no minor phenomenon. There is no way of knowing why they contacted us, or what could happen if Earth responds to them. The uncertainty of the situation has caused many people of Canada to dissolve into panic. Upon learning that nations plan on moving forward in attempts to build The Machine, levels of fear have increased from what had already been nearing hysteria at the point of learning of extraterrestrial contact. In a nation where the once-strong economy has fallen into a state of crisis, the majority of Canadian citizens are struggling through stressful times. News as shocking as this coming out during such times has only struck more fear in our people. Some scientists of other nations may see this as an irresistible opportunity. Some leaders may see this as a threat to which we must respond immediately. Here in Canada, our Prime Minister Stephen Harper has decided against Canadian involvement in building The Machine - the first largely popular decision he has made in quite some time. The feeling of the majority of Canada's people is this: we do not know what will happen if we respond to this extraterrestrial contact. We do not know what will happen once we build The Machine and send out a response signal, nor do we have the economic funds and stability to do so. University of Toronto professor Mark Bates' Wednesday morning statement summarizes the fears of many Canadians: "We do not know what consequences could come from this. Suppose this signal was sent to us as a test to determine if we are able to respond, and once we do so we have proven our intelligence to them and thus proven the fact that we are a threat? Suppose this signal was sent to us for no reason other than curiosity of other life forms, and we spend trillions of dollars on a response only to never see further contact from them? So far, all that has happened is that the extraterrestrials have sent us a signal. Many see this as frightening. Many others see this as fascinating. Without a doubt, it is something we need to do research on. Whatever extraterrestrial life has contacted us has done so in a way our most intelligent minds and most advanced technology has not come up with, however. They are more advanced then us. They are more intelligent than us. We need to act accordingly, and we need to act with caution." The word "caution" is the best way to describe how most Canadians wish to move from here on. People throughout the nation are voicing their fears. McGill University hockey coach Kelly Nobes stated, "I think this signal was a sort of "dropping of the gloves." It's warning us of a possible attack." Nationwide news program, CBC News, went out onto the streets to interview citizens. The people's reactions were, overwhelmingly, declarations of fear. The image of one woman bursting into tears while being interviewed has caused her to rapidly become the face of the Canadian people's views towards this Machine. The people have spoken; they do not believe The Machine should be built, they do not want any involvement in building it, and they are afraid of the consequences if advances in The Machine progress.