The festivities at Canada Place gave Canadians an opportunity to display what is considered a rare trait. A public display of national pride.
But beyond the music and singing, today also represents a moment 60 people will never forget.
Amongst the crowd was Francis and Carmen D’Souza and their five children. Originally from Pakistan, they moved here in 2008.
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Today they became Canadians.
“We are so happy that we made the right decision to come here for the future of ourselves, and of our children,” said Carmen.
The D’Souza’s are Roman Catholic. When you watch the news from their homeland you know Pakistan is going through a challenging period in its history. Using violence, a small group of radical Muslims have declared war on Pakistani civil society, including fellow Muslims, religious minorities including Christians. The security situation in Pakistan has declined dramatically in the past decade. It’s one of the reasons why the D’Souza’s came to Canada.
“Security being the main issue, better healthcare, education, and political system out here,” said Francis.
Each year 250,000 immigrants arrive in Canada. Many arrive with very little, hence they become our country’s strivers, dreamers, and risk takers.
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