Finding community key for immigrants with Canadian dreams, new Manitobans say

Rebecca Ruvando used to spend her days in Zimbabwe dreaming of one day emigrating to Canada. 

When the 37-year-old spoke to people about the country, they described it as the land of hope and happiness. Listening to them, Ruvando would imagine what life on the other side of the world was like, fantasizing about the day she could move.

In summer 2023, Ruvando decided to leave her two small children and husband and migrate to Canada for school. 

It was a difficult decision, but she was confident her choice would lead to a brighter future for her and her family.

And because of the country's diverse population, Ruvando expected Canadians to be open to newcomers.

Now living in Winnipeg, the reality of life in Canada is far from the life she once dreamed of.

"Everyone is out for their own gain," Ruvando said to CBC. "I did not feel welcome. I felt isolated. I felt like I was on my own."

Ruvando's story echoes the experience of other newcomers.

While grateful to be in Canada, many Manitoba newcomers say they feel unwelcome and isolated upon arrival. 

Many also report discrimination — three in five new Canadians said they've experienced discrimination in a recent survey conducted by market research firm Pollara Strategic and commissioned by CBC.

It surveyed a small sample size from Manitoba, but Winnipegger Zarreen Barlas said observations of discrimination and feelings of isolation are what she hears on the ground.    

Barlas, who's part of the Coalition of Manitoba Cultural Communities for Families, a Winnipeg-based organization that creates spaces for Manitobans to advocate for the needs of their communities, frequently hears people say they feel like "second-class citizens."

"When we look at people that have been born and raised here all the way to the ones that are newcomers, it's the same kind of feeling that you have, that you do not belong," Barlas said.

"There is a high level of ignorance that has been carried on from generation to generation and unfortunately, cultural communities are affected by this in their daily lives."

Newcomers frequently report experiences of xenophobia, racism and feeling unsafe to the non-profit, Barlas said.

The experiences shared with her range from microaggressive comments about race and immigration status made at work to acts of physical violence, she said. 

Not only do these experiences exacerbate a feeling of exclusion, but they can also be traumatic, she said. 

"This is an ongoing trauma-filled cycle, which really leads to a more challenged way of living, when you don't feel a sense of belonging in your own existence," Barlas told CBC. 

University of Manitoba sociologist Lori Wilkinson researches migration and has been tracking rates of xenophobia in the country. 

In the last nine months, she's noticed a sharp increase in acts of xenophobia, something that, although alarming, doesn't surprise her.

She believes the increase can be attributed to multiple factors, with major contributors being politics and the economy. 

"When unemployment goes up, people tend to become a bit more fearful. But some of our politicians have been contributing to this too," she said. 

"Since immigrants can't vote, it's not politically too dangerous for politicians to just simply blame immigrants for things that have been neglected in our society for a long time."

Brandon resident Sofia Frolova, 21, immigrated to Canada from Ukraine two years ago. Before moving, she had concerns about whether she would be accepted.

Community essential

When speaking with newcomers who were already in Canada, she often heard stories about mistreatment and isolation.  

"When moving to another country, you somehow fear that you're not going to be welcome and you're not going to fit in the new society that you're coming into," said Frolova, who lived in different European countries before coming to Canada.

For Frolova, the push to come to Manitoba specifically was because she already knew people living here, which has shielded her from a lot of social struggles other newcomers face, she said.
 
She believes having a sense of community is essential to having a good immigration experience.

Ruvando agrees.

Some of the moments she felt the most alone were when she was on public transit, she said.

For her, it was an early sign that it would be harder to build community in Manitoba than back home in Zimbabwe. 

The first time she took the bus, she was excited to speak with the people next to her, something that is common in Zimbabwe. To her surprise, people either had headphones on or avoided eye contact. 

Just over one year after immigrating, Ruvando is finally finding her footing, she said. 

In the fall, her children and husband left Zimbabwe, and joined her in Canada. 

When she immigrated, she only knew one person in Winnipeg, but since moving, she's made an effort to grow her community.

Now, when she walks the streets of her new home, she feels less alone.