Canada's newest settlers play important role in reconciliation, Edmonton community leaders say
Ottawa urged to release revised citizenship test study guide with more Indigenous content
Farouk Zaitoun made an instant connection with the original people in his new country when he was greeted by Cree singers, led by a traditional drummer, at the Edmonton airport in May 2022.
"He was genuinely welcoming me to his land and I felt a connection with that," said Zaitoun, recalling his arrival after a lengthy journey from Syria.
Two years on, Zaitoun is a permanent resident and apprentice plumber deepening that connection through his work in remote communities throughout Western Canada.
He helped restore homes for returning Indigenous wildfire evacuees near Fox Lake, Alta., last year. In return, he was thanked with apples and hugs.
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Zaitoun is one of countless newcomers who has been welcomed by Indigenous people at airports across Canada. It's an approach, Edmonton community leaders say, that makes powerful first impressions and demonstrates the opportunity to advance reconciliation.
"They are very welcoming and understanding of us being new to them," Zaitoun said. "They were very willing to give us their time and explain to us what they've been through."
Of the work still to be done, advocates want Ottawa to expedite the release of a revised citizenship study guide — a call to action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 2015 report.
'Building a bridge'
In 2025, the federal government aims to welcome 500,000 new immigrants to Canada, with the same goal in 2026.
Lewis Cardinal, Indigenous Knowledge and Wisdom Centre adviser, said it's part of his tradition to welcome the newest settlers with their many gifts and talents, as they did when the first settlers arrived.
"We have a saying in Cree, it's called tawâw, which means you are welcome here — there is room," Cardinal said.
Cardinal welcomes groups of new settlers from Africa, Asia and South America to Edmonton's urban sacred site kihcihkaw askî to share Indigenous worldviews and ceremony.
"The response is pretty much the same. They say, 'We didn't know this and there are a lot of things you guys do that reminds me of what my people do', Cardinal said.
"It changes the dynamic of relationships with individuals because when they can see themselves in your story, that's the first thread that can lead to building a bridge."
But releasing a revised citizenship study guide, which Lewis helped work on, is key, Cardinal added.
"If there is racism, discrimination, and misinformation about other people in Canada, then it's transferred — so we want to correct that," he said.
He would also like to see the revival of citizenship ceremonies presided over by Indigenous leaders like ones that took place for a few years starting in 2016.
In 2008, then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a historic apology to residential school survivors that ushered in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) as a "positive step in forging a new relationship" between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
The 2015 TRC report outlined 94 calls to action, including a revised citizenship test study guide containing more information on the treaties Indigenous peoples signed with the Crown, and the harmful legacy of residential schools.
A revised citizenship oath, introduced in June 2021 in response to the 94th call to action, pledges to uphold Indigenous peoples' rights.
But a revised study guide has yet to be released — although Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's (IRCC) website outlines steps toward its creation.
For two years, IRCC has said a launch date for the revised study guide has not been determined. When asked by CBC News, a ministry spokesperson declined to provide a release date, stating that "Discover Canada remains the official study guide for the citizenship test."
City of Edmonton officials project newcomers will make up half the population by 2050.
Many newcomers find support with the Islamic Family Social Services Agency (IFSSA), which has collaborated with Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society on multiple projects.
Among them, Roots on 6 amplifies the voices of multi-generational newcomers and Indigenous peoples through stories, songs and poetry,
IFSAA community members have written a collection of Treaty 6 land acknowledgements in the form of Muslim prayer, or Du'as in Arabic. Cree symbols have been woven into prayer rugs based on stories from Indigenous elders.
"The experience of refugees and displaced people, it's about searching for belonging," Omar Yaqub, executive director of IFFSA, said. "Part of that belonging comes from knowing your neighbours, knowing their stories."
Those years of collaboration are also invalidating long-spun narratives that pit equity-deserving groups against each other, competing for scarce resources.
Instead, they highlight common experiences and beliefs between new settlers and Indigenous people — from the impact of colonization and dislocation, to the value of family and spirituality.
"We see the world through the value of co-operation and collectivist cultures. So it's about, 'How can we do these things together?'" Yaqub said.
That's front of mind for Zaitoun who keeps in touch with his Indigenous friends, including one man who inspired him to go back to school to become a plumber. He scored top marks.
"All the individuals that I've met were very genuine with their emotions and the way they told me that I'm welcome here — that I'm more than able to flourish," Zaitoun said.
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