Joy and responsibility: Saskatchewan immigrants reflect on what it means to belong

Jeffery Tram · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 01, 2025 4:33 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

As galore successful Saskatchewan observe Canada Day, the time holds galore antithetic meanings. 

For some, it's a time of nationalist pride, particularly successful airy of rhetoric astir Canada becoming the 51st authorities that originated from U.S President Donald Trump. But for others, it is simply a time to people a infinitesimal of reflection for galore who present telephone this state home.

"I've been present for a portion now, and it feels similar home," said Iryn Tushabe, a Regina-based writer who immigrated from Uganda successful 2007. "I person friends here, I person community, radical who came to my assistance erstwhile I needed kid attraction and babysitters."

"Saskatchewan is wherever I became a mom, wherever I became a spouse, and wherever I became a writer."

Speaking on CBC's Blue Sky, Tushabe said her 2019 citizenship ceremonial was filled with emotion. 

"It was precise surreal, a premix of joyousness and besides a spot of sadness. Because by becoming a Canadian citizen, I gave up my Ugandan citizenship … that's a peculiar benignant of pain."

Still, she said, the infinitesimal was triumphant:

"This is wherever I am, and this is wherever I'll besides telephone home."

Fleeing conflicts for information and freedom

Lili Htoo Saw was 20 years aged erstwhile she arrived with her parents and siblings, carrying conscionable 1 suitcase. Her household had fled Myanmar — past Burma — by ft done jungle and onshore mines, spending astir a decennary successful a Thai exile campy earlier resettling successful Canada.

"Coming to Canada felt similar contiguous freedom," Saw said. "We each felt similar we were free, that we person a harmless spot wherever we tin physique up our future."

She says becoming a Canadian national was erstwhile unimaginable. 

"The happiness went up to the honeymoon stage," she said. "But past I realized it was 50/50—that I person galore responsibilities arsenic a Canadian citizen, and it is clip for giving back."

Now moving arsenic a colony caseworker successful Regina, Lili says helping newcomers is her mode of honouring what she's gained:

"It is simply a privilege to dainty each newcomer with respect, dignity … I was erstwhile a newcomer. So it is simply a very, precise cleanable spot to springiness backmost to Canada."

For Naseer Alokozai, becoming Canadian means gaining thing he's lacked for astir of his life: stability.

"Afghanistan has been successful conflicts for similar five decades now," helium said. "We person been done truthful galore turmoils successful our lifetime."

"We privation a unchangeable spot wherever we tin telephone location and physique our future."

Alokozai knew helium and his household had to permission his location state erstwhile the Taliban took power of the authorities successful 2021. They fled to Pakistan wherever they stayed for 7 months earlier coming to Canada successful November 2022.

Alokozai present lives successful Saskatoon with his family, where helium leads the Indigenous newcomer transportation programme with the Saskatoon Open Door Society. He holds imperishable residency, and says afloat citizenship would springiness the information helium has agelong been looking for.

"Being a national volition springiness maine that bid of caput … that belonging."

Citizenship comes with responsibility

Tushabe says portion she is grateful for citizenship, she doesn't judge Canada is simply a state without flaws.

"There mightiness beryllium a reluctance upon newcomers to our state to beryllium captious due to the fact that they're truthful grateful for wherever they came from," said Tushabe. "But successful becoming a national and getting that privilege to vote, they person each close to beryllium conscionable arsenic captious of what's going connected present arsenic the radical who are calved and raised here."

She says she has sharpened her expectations — particularly erstwhile it comes to homophobia and racism.

"People ever think, 'Oh, it indispensable beryllium truthful hard being successful Uganda and having to woody with each of that.' But actually, erstwhile you unrecorded successful Saskatchewan, it's not written into the legislation, but you brushwood these insignificant violences connected a regular basis," she said.

"Even successful the schools that my children spell to, determination is homophobia."

Tushabe said Canadian individuality is thing that evolves implicit time, and she's travel to spot herself arsenic portion of a larger collective, which includes learning astir individuality arsenic a Black pistillate — something she ne'er truly had to deliberation astir surviving successful Uganda arsenic an Omukiga woman.

"By the clip I became a citizen, I had grown comfy successful my Blackness, truthful that it felt similar I was joining a assemblage of different Black radical that person been present longer than I have. And I strive to contribute."

She says different constituent of connecting with Canadian individuality is honouring Indigenous people.

"To besides beryllium successful assemblage with those who were present agelong earlier each of america came here, to larn from them and archer stories responsibly, successful a mode that honours each of that history."