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Canadian Newcomer History
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Stories of Newcomers Stories of how faith and activism have helped shaped Canada's newcomer history as a history of immigrants and refugees.
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A Brief History For more than a hundred years, newcomers from all over the world have contributed to making Canada a country rich in multi-cultural diversity. |
Beginning to Change For centuries, the story of settling Canada has been a story of newcomers coping with incredible hardships, and learning to help one another. But, too often, this history has amounted to a variety of forms of exclusivism, that says: “My religion, not yours. My people are welcome, not yours.” |
The Boat People In the late 1970's, Canadians of all faiths welcomed the Indo-Chinese boat people. With their arrival, a new chapter of Canadian newcomer history began. |
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Working Together As Canadian faith groups began to work together on behalf of newcomers, they dug deeply to see how their different theological traditions shared in the welcoming of strangers -- of all faiths or no particular faith.
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Sharing Theological Ground As major Canadian faith groups, such as the Anglicans and Roman Catholics, committed themselves to welcoming the stranger, they began to work together in coalitions with other faith groups on the public education issues involved. They also deepened their commitment to reach out, one by one, to newly arriving families and individuals to help with all the practical re-settlement issues involved.
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Advocating Compassion Refugees come to Canada and sometimes are turned back. For those who work closely with newcomers, the experience of accompanying people going through deportation is deeply painful.
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Many Approaches, One Goal Some Canadian faith groups work to affect government policy, others work on public education, and others on the resettlement needs of the newcomers themselves. But all agree: all aspects of the effort are needed.
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Sanctuary For 16 months, brother and sister Delilah and Gabriel Grey, formerly of Guatemala, and now citizens of Dieppe, New Brunswick, lived as illegal refugees in St. Teresa's church basement. |
Becoming Canadian All over Canada, church groups are hard at work, making sure that the strangers who arrive are not only welcomed, but are becoming acquainted with their new country. |
The New Life Begins For Canada's newest arrivals, there are many issues to resolve. For the people who are trying to give the newcomers a hand, there is also much to learn. |
Little Everyday Miracles For Canada’s newcomers, there are deeply spiritual aspects of their journeys to their new country.
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Walking Together As they walk together, newcomers, and those who help them, come to see in a new way the meaning of the sacred teachings of their faiths. |
Mutual Respect How Canadians discover that difference rather than sameness can be a viable foundation for society. |
A Bigger Family Lives change in the process of welcoming the stranger. What might begin as a simple act of compassion, of helping someone in trouble can turn out to last a lifetime. |
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