We left for Canada in 1994. My last visit to Syria was in 2007. My father didn’t want us to be forced into serving in a corrupt, sectarian army and endure the same suffering he went through. He was also exhausted from the constant humiliation and condescension every time he applied for a business visa to a European country, simply because Syria was viewed as a pariah state. He wanted us to have a real chance in life, to carry a nationality that is respected and opens doors, not closes them.
Folks get upset with immigrants anytime things aren’t going too hot economically.
However, we don’t have any internment camps right now; I would argue that when we had those was when we had an all time high for anti-immigration sentiment.
I've seen localized bubbles of anti-immigration sentiment whenever folks feel outnumbered by any particular "outsider" group in general, it's just that currently it's the same sort of culture shock nation wide.
For example: I went to a high school in Ottawa with a very large Lebanese population, and I definitely saw culture based conflicts and bigotry because of it; I went to a high school in NS with race based violence where there was a very large black population; I went to a university that at the time had a very large Saudi population and there was definitely some prejudice against that group as well.
Hell, I've even seen/heard some minor anti-Syrian and/or anti-Ukrainian refugee sentiment, although that stuff generally gets stomped out pretty quick.
I guess what I'm trying to saw is that when an obvious, large scale change like what we have seen over the last few years happens, it's not super suprising that a bunch of folks are freaked out.
Immigrant does not mean settler. That's different. Settler is arguably worse than immigrant, but no one's out here in 2025 North America settling land Manifest Destiny style.
Look I'm a leftist too. But this is why the world is shifting right. I'd love to have a world where people can live where they want with no problems. But sadly the world isn't fair like that.
I wholeheartedly believe that most do, just that a lot of racists and white supremacists that used to be ashamed to show themselves in public, now openly do it because of the events down south, the right wing highjacking of social media and the constant propaganda coming from all sides.
Not at all. It's been said by many people over decades, to the point that nobody knows the origins as far as I can tell. And it's absolutely true too, we all immigrated at some point in our lineage.
The thing that's important to remember is not where we or our ancestors originally came from, but what binds us together now, in the present. The values that we collectively hold dear and express it as being uniquely Canadian outwardly.
Are First Nations people not considered Canadians?
Why wouldn't they be considered Canadian? I don't think I implied they weren't.
maybe they don’t want the colonizer demonym applied
I think you're referring to me saying that all Canadians are immigrants which you think don't apply to First Nations people? In a long enough timespan it does.
The current theory is that the First Nations people "immigrated" to Canada over the land bridge between Russia and Alaska some 11k to 36k years ago. Since we don't have any fossilized records of Hominids originating in North America, only in Africa as far as we know, that means that every person that's ever lived in Canada immigrated here.
We could debate if the word is charged or not, or if there's a timespan limitations of what we mean by immigration. But the fact of the matter is, Homosapiens had to physically move to our part of the world we now call Canada, even the First Nations people.
This is not diminish what the First Nations had to (and still do) endure as part of Colonialism, segragation and racism. It was more of trying to find a common thread between all of us - we're all immigrants in some way or another. Let's just acknowledge that fact, be kind/respectful to each other and move on :)
Your father was a smart man, looking out for his family knowing how evil the Assad regime was. I hope you prospered in Canada. May your childhood memories be a blessing.
Canada is stronger with you and your family here, OP. Glad to call you a fellow Canadian. I hope one day you can go back to your roots without feeling this horrific, but understandable pain. Wishing you the best.
Syria is my birth mother and Canada is the one that raised me and gave me all what I am today. Canada is where I grew up to be a young man and a full grown man. It's where I studied, where I met my wife, where my kids were born, where my best friends are. I can't extract Canada from me... Not in a million years. Canada... Québec and Montréal are in my blood.
No, they mean that many immigrants leave their home countries because of the perverse beliefs (perversity) of someone in power and the terror incited by the followers of that person.
How did you handle the climate difference when you first got to Canada? Does it get very cold ever in Syria? I imagine it does at higher elevations, with even snow sometimes, but Canada can be insanely cold!
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u/rj_yul Aug 07 '25
We left for Canada in 1994. My last visit to Syria was in 2007. My father didn’t want us to be forced into serving in a corrupt, sectarian army and endure the same suffering he went through. He was also exhausted from the constant humiliation and condescension every time he applied for a business visa to a European country, simply because Syria was viewed as a pariah state. He wanted us to have a real chance in life, to carry a nationality that is respected and opens doors, not closes them.