I didn't know what it meant to be Canadian until I saw a photograph that opened my eyes

Clare Currie · for CBC First Person

· Posted: Jun 26, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

This First Person file is written by Clare Currie, who lives successful Cape Breton, N.S., and is portion of a Canada Day bid exploring what Canada means to radical crossed this country. For much accusation astir First Person stories, spot the FAQ.

Growing up successful Cape Breton, I had a constrictive thought of what "Canada" meant. Simple images came to caput — maple syrup, Peter Mansbridge and beavers. Who knew that a kid calved astir 8,000 kilometres distant would displacement my knowing of my ain country?

I'd been watching the tv 1 evening successful September 2015 erstwhile the newscast showed a representation of Alan Kurdi, a Syrian exile kid whose assemblage had washed up connected a formation adjacent Greece, lying look down successful the soil and water. It was the astir achy and unnatural happening I'd ever seen. My bosom went retired to that small lad arsenic a mother. 

Until that moment, I'd been engaged raising 2 sons, moving arsenic a caregiver and surviving a comfortable, privileged life. Seeing that representation was the archetypal clip I felt existent discomfort oregon guilt for having truthful much. I had taken my Canadian freedoms for granted. I'd ne'er considered what it would beryllium similar for idiosyncratic to instrumentality my home, my family, my treasured belongings and my satellite arsenic I knew it. 

I retrieve telling my hubby we needed to bash something, but we had nary thought wherever to start.  

I didn't cognize thing astir Syria, truthful I started speechmaking everything I could astir Syrian civilization and food, Islam, and what refugees from Syria mightiness need. Cape Breton Island was a predominantly achromatic assemblage for astir of my puerility and adjacent successful my big years, truthful I had small acquisition to gully on. I lone knew that a section assemblage radical would beryllium helping to sponsor a Syrian household that planned to settee successful Cape Breton, and much would travel later.

My parent had helped to resettle Vietnamese refugees to this state successful the precocious 1970s, and she told maine that was "the happiest time" of her life.  

When I told her I wanted to beryllium portion of the Syrian exile situation work, but didn't cognize wherever to turn, she said, "Don't interest astir wherever it volition travel from. It volition come." 

One beardown island

Cape Breton Island, for each its beauty,  is distant and underresourced. People present person a past of economical struggle. But we're fiercely arrogant of our strength, our civilization of friendliness and our tendency to assistance each different out.  

I started collecting goods successful my location with assistance from friends and family. They brought each azygous happening you could ideate a household mightiness request — from furniture frames to covering to pots and blankets. 

My niece changed her university's Secret Santa enactment to invitation everyone to donate idiosyncratic items for the family, portion my son's institution besides collected goods and money. Our section furnishings store stepped successful with tables, chairs, dressers and more. We each couldn't judge however it was coming together; everyone was doing something. 

I'll ne'er hide driving down to the schoolhouse wherever the 2 older children successful the exile household would yet be and seeing a immense "welcome" motion written successful Arabic hung supra the entrance.

Knowing that the household would person near their household keepsakes behind, our town's lensman offered to instrumentality caller household photos for them. Somehow, erstwhile bare apartments were turned into welcoming, cosy homes, acceptable for the families to marque a caller beginning.

The time aft the archetypal household from Syria arrived, my hubby Joe and I went to their flat door, and nervously knocked. I carried with maine a Post-it enactment with the connection "Marhaban," which meant invited oregon hullo written connected it.  

A beauteous yet timid young pistillate opened the door, and I handed the Post-it to her. She smiled and welcomed america in. Neither of america understood each other's languages, but with the usage of Google Translate and tons of gesturing, we rapidly began to communicate. 

The household included the mother, father, 2 daughters successful simple schoolhouse and a toddler son. The father's brother, who is paraplegic and successful a wheelchair, came with them too. 

I kissed and hugged each 1 of the household members, instantly feeling that they were my own. Later successful the visit, the parent and I sneaked distant to a quiescent corner. 

I typed her a connection to stock with her ain parent successful Syria: "Tell your parent I tin beryllium your parent present if you want".  

She sent that to her mother, who responded, "Yes, that's a bully idea." 

We cried unneurotic for a while, holding hands and kissing each other's cheeks similar aged friends.  

My husband, being the applicable and quiescent feline helium is, hooked up the TV and recovered an occurrence of Mr. Bean. We each piled onto the furniture and the level and watched it together, laughing our heads off. We were family. 

I was ne'er truthful blessed successful my life. The connection "mom" has taken connected a caller meaning for me. Now I'm called ma not conscionable by my ain children, but I besides consciousness similar a ma to the children of different families we've helped resettle successful this caller country. They telephone maine Clare, but privation maine each Mother's Day. There's plentifulness of emotion to spell around.

A fewer years later, the archetypal household we'd helped resettle successful our country near for Ontario for work. The friends I made successful Cape Breton arsenic portion of the exile sponsor radical were besides determination connected the time they left. We each cried our hearts retired arsenic we waved goodbye, wishing them bully luck connected the adjacent measurement of their travel here.

In 2025, being a Canadian pistillate to maine means looking retired for our neighbours, leaning into differences successful culture, spiritual practices and learning however to assistance others successful need. Because we are not antithetic astatine all. We are each conscionable looking for information and peace. It's our Canadian values of equality, respect and state successful action.  

It is the singular privilege of my beingness to locomotion alongside these families from Cape Breton and those who are newcomers to Canada. It's changed however I live, and I mean to bash this enactment arsenic agelong arsenic I americium able. I larn from them grace, service, religion and hope. They taught maine however to beryllium a Canadian.

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