Diaspora Diaries
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The 2006 Canadian census counted more than 6 million people - approximately 20% of the total population - who were born outside of the country. While only Australia has a higher proportion, Canada's foreign-born population is more diverse. Recent immigrants to Canada are far more likely to arrive from Asia and the Middle East than from Europe. And, they are joined by people arriving from South and Central America, the Caribbean and Africa.
While recent arrivals to Canada often encounter barriers to settlement, many persist despite these challenges and go on to lead successful personal and professional lives. And their commitment to Canada is unassailable; the Census reported that 85% of the foreign-born eligible for Canadian citizenship in 2006 had become naturalized. In fact, some research suggests that foreign-born Canadians have a stronger attachment to Canada than Canadian-born citizens.
While Canadians who arrived as immigrants and refugees develop strong ties to Canada, many also maintain close connections to their countries and regions of origin. And, the successes they have achieved in Canada often inspire, and even compel, them to share that success and give back to people in their countries of birth and beyond.
The Diaspora Diaries tells the stories of ten such Canadians.
They arrived in Canada as immigrants or refugees from the four corners of the earth. In some cases, they are the second generation - children of immigrants. They are different ages, of both genders and represent a variety of backgrounds and professions. What unites them, however, is a deep sense of compassion and social justice, a commitment to action and an obligation and sense of responsibility, as Canadians, to give back and, in particular, to help in their countries of origin.
Many of the people profiled in the Diaspora Diaries demonstrate real courage; they have put their personal safety on the line. Others describe personal stories that few people born in Canada could even begin to imagine. And yet, they are not that atypical. We could easily have told many, many more stories similar to those profiled in the Diaspora Diaries.
The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation commissioned these profiles because we believe they represent exemplary Canadians who think and act as global citizens. These ten individuals - and others like them from different diaspora communities - should be celebrated. More importantly, Canada should find ways to support the work of diaspora communities to provide peacebuilding and humanitarian assistance, strengthen governance, and build a more equitable and interconnected world.
In his 2003 book, Navigating a New World: Canada's Global Future, former Foreign Affairs Minister, Lloyd Axworthy, wrote: "We haven't quite figured out how to take full advantage of the influence and resources of our diaspora communities and their communications' networks around the world." Unfortunately, relatively little has changed since then. As Vahan Kololian said during his interview for the Diaspora Diaries, "we seem to think of diversity as a domestic issue, not as a vehicle for promoting Canada's vision and Canada's interest internationally."
We hope these stories will encourage key decision makers to recognize and support the global citizenship actions of diaspora communities in ways that further Canada's role in the world.
Rand
Askalan
Tien Ching
Mazen
Chouaib
Tamara
Dawit
Eusebio
Garcia
Vahan
Kololian
Adeena
Niazi
Alfred
Orono
Cheryl
Perera
Anver
Saloojee
The Diaspora Diaries is dedicated to the memory of Canadian journalist
Ali Iman Sharmarke, who was murdered in Mogadishu in August 2007. A
former refugee to Canada, Mr. Sharmarke returned to Somalia in the late
1990s to co-found the media outlet HornAfrik Radio.
| Links: | |
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Immigration in Canada: A Portrait of the Foreign-born
Population, 2006 Census: Findings (http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/analysis/immcit/index.cfm) |
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The BC Society for Educating Girls of Rural China, an organization
founded by Tien Ching (http://egrc.ca/) |
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Mazen Chouaib is the former Executive Director of the National
Council on Canada Arab Relations (http://www.nccar.ca/) |
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The 411 Initiative for Change, an organization founded by Tamara
Dawit http://www.whatsthe411.ca/) |
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The Mosaic Institute, an organization founded by Vahan Kololian (http://www.mosaicinstitute.ca/) |
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The Afghan Women's Organization, led by Adeena Niazi (http://www.afghanwomen.org/) |
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OneChild, an organization founded by Cheryl Perera (http://www.one-child.ca/) |
The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation is grateful to Ingrid Walter, a freelance journalist and a member of the Jamaican diaspora in Canada, who conducted the interviews and wrote the Diaspora Diaries.