NDC Canada Chapter held an elegant Victory Celebration in Toronto on Sunday, March 22, 2009. The event, dubbed as a “Democratic Victory for Ghana”, was held at 995 Arrow Road, Jamaican Canadian Center, Toronto Ontario. It was attended by members of the Ghanaian Community and delegations from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Convention Peoples Party (CPP) and a large delegation from the African and Caribbean Communities in Toronto. The Dinner-Dance also featured a large variety of African dishes and music.

The Guest Speaker, Mr. Bo Amissah who came from Ghana stressed the commitment of the government not to engage in political vendetta but to focus on meaningful and constructive policies that will improve the living conditions of the people .He said the Mills administration will restore hope and confidence in the future by investing in agriculture, health and education. On armed robbery, he reminded Ghanaians to look at the track record of the NDC administration and promised that the devilish canker will be expunged in the country. He therefore reiterated the government’s call on all Ghanaians to return home to build the nation.

The Chairman of NDC Canada Chapter, Mr. Kofi Sordzi, who was the Chairman for the celebration thanked Toronto branch members of the party for their hardwork and dedication in organizing a party of that magnitude. He said he was extremely happy that the Canadian members of NACC NDC after many years of feet dragging have decided to join NDC Canada Chapter. He therefore appealed to all members to close their ranks and unite to face the challenges ahead of the party. He again reiterated his commitment to organizing a delegate’s conference to elect new executives for the Chapter by the end of the year. He advised members to form branches in other parts of Toronto where logistics problems may hinder them from attending meetings. He informed members that as mandated by the NDC constitution whenever a new branch is formed, he is obligated to launch it and inform the party headquarters accordingly. The first Vice Chairman of NACC NDC, Mr. Simon Adzraku thanked all members of the community who abandoned their busy schedules to attend the party. He said the 2008 elections in Ghana have demonstrated the political maturity of Ghanaians. He cited an incident in Ghana where during the elections some security officials holding guns wanted to tamper with the ballot boxes. However, to their utter surprise the women at polling station disarmed them and they all disappeared.

Mr. Jayson Schwarz, a legal practitioner in Toronto and an active contributor to Ghanaian causes in the community thanked the organizers for bestowing the greatest honour on him to speak at this august occasion. He said that as a friend to most members of the major political parties in Ghana he was gladdened with joy to see Ghana pass another political litmus test. He remarked that he was very fortunate to meet President Atta Mills when he came to Toronto in 2003 as the leader of the opposition party. He said he was looking forward to visiting Ghana to look at areas that he could be of benefit to Ghana.

The Chairman of the New Patriotic Party in Toronto, Mr. Macdonald Agbenyo said that the recent election in Ghana has proved that Ghanaians were mature in politics. He pointed out that if this trend continued Ghana will eventually be the beacon of hope for Africa. He said the NPP administration has set standards in health care, education and infrastructural development and if the present government failed to deliver in these areas, the NPP will come to power in 2012.

The Chairman of the Montreal Branch of the NDC, Mr. Ken Asafo-Adjei led a ten-member delegation comprising Executive members from the Montreal Branch of the Party to the celebrations. These were Mr. Kwami Aziagba, Mr. Wisdom Kwao, Mrs. Rebecca Kwao, Mr. Amen Wurah, Mr. Yakubu Amadu, Mrs. Lucy Amadu, Mr. Kofi Sordzi, Mrs. Patience Sordzi and Mrs. Kathy Blades.

The success of the party was due to the strategic planning acumen of Messers. Joe Boateng, Francis Adu-Philips, William Ayensu, Enoch Nartey, Chairman of NDC Toronto Branch, Edmund Gbede, Frederick Tay and Josephine Gbediame. This celebration will be remembered in the annals of history because for the first time, the various political parties were invited to participate in the celebrations and also allowed to address the gathering. Moreover, NPP campaign song was also played and everybody went wild with jubilation on the floor. The Asantefuohene of Toronto, Nana Dambaka Sarkodie Bandoh appeared at the celebration with pomp and pageantry with other Chiefs and his followers and took the floor for about ten minutes to the delight of the cheering crowd. The Ashanti Adowa Cultural Dance group also performed after Nana left and treated the crowd to different Adowa dances.

Some special guests who attended the celebration include, Dr. Martin La Kumi, Mr. Aboagye Danso, Mrs. Agnes Summers-Makola, Mr. Francis Arhinful, Mr. David Dickson, Mr. Ibrahim Jantuah, Mr. Alex Barning, Nana Asare, and Mr. Prince Ofosu-Sefah, Mr. Raymond Ansah, Mr. Philip Fugar, Mrs. Heather Welner and a group of lawyers from Schwarz Chambers.

The Master of Ceremony was perfectly executed by Mr. Frederick Tay, who is the General Secretary of NDC Canada. Nana Ampofowah gave the vote of thanks after the NDC victory cake was cut. The best DJ’s in Toronto, Emmanuel Arthur and Shorty provided non-stop music.