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

As many in Saskatchewan celebrate Canada Day, the day holds many different meanings. 

For some, it's a day of national pride, especially in light of rhetoric around Canada becoming the 51st state that originated from U.S President Donald Trump. But for others, it is a day to mark a moment of reflection for many who now call this country home.

"I've been here for a while now, and it feels like home," said Iryn Tushabe, a Regina-based author who immigrated from Uganda in 2007. "I have friends here, I have community, people who came to my aid when I needed child care and babysitters."

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

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

"It was very surreal, a mix of joy and also a bit of sadness. Because by becoming a Canadian citizen, I gave up my Ugandan citizenship … that's a special kind of pain."

Still, she said, the moment was triumphant:

"This is where I am, and this is where I'll also call home."

Fleeing conflicts for safety and freedom

Lili Htoo Saw was 20 years old when she arrived with her parents and siblings, carrying just one suitcase. Her family had fled Myanmar — then Burma — by foot through jungle and land mines, spending nearly a decade in a Thai refugee camp before resettling in Canada.

"Coming to Canada felt like immediate freedom," Saw said. "We all felt like we were free, that we have a safe place where we can build up our future."

She says becoming a Canadian citizen was once unimaginable. 

"The happiness went up to the honeymoon stage," she said. "But then I realized it was 50/50—that I have many responsibilities as a Canadian citizen, and it is time for giving back."

Now working as a settlement caseworker in Regina, Lili says helping newcomers is her way of honouring what she's gained:

"It is a privilege to treat every newcomer with respect, dignity … I was once a newcomer. So it is a very, very perfect place to give back to Canada."

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

"Afghanistan has been in conflicts for like five decades now," he said. "We have been through so many turmoils in our lifetime."

"We want a stable place where we can call home and build our future."

Alokozai knew he and his family had to leave his home country once the Taliban took control of the government in 2021. They fled to Pakistan where they stayed for seven months before coming to Canada in November 2022.

Alokozai now lives in Saskatoon with his family, where he leads the Indigenous newcomer connection program with the Saskatoon Open Door Society. He holds permanent residency, and says full citizenship would give the security he has long been looking for.

"Being a citizen will give me that peace of mind … that belonging."

Citizenship comes with responsibility

Tushabe says while she is grateful for citizenship, she doesn't believe Canada is a country without flaws.

"There might be a reluctance upon newcomers to our country to be critical because they're so grateful for where they came from," said Tushabe. "But in becoming a citizen and getting that privilege to vote, they have every right to be just as critical of what's going on here as the people who are born and raised here."

She says she has sharpened her expectations — especially when it comes to homophobia and racism.

"People always think, 'Oh, it must be so hard being in Uganda and having to deal with all of that.' But actually, when you live in Saskatchewan, it's not written into the legislation, but you encounter these minor violences on a daily basis," she said.

"Even in the schools that my children go to, there is homophobia."

Tushabe said Canadian identity is something that evolves over time, and she's come to see herself as part of a larger collective, which includes learning about identity as a Black woman — something she never really had to think about living in Uganda as an Omukiga woman.

"By the time I became a citizen, I had grown comfortable in my Blackness, so that it felt like I was joining a community of other Black people that have been here longer than I have. And I strive to contribute."

She says another component of connecting with Canadian identity is honouring Indigenous people.

"To also be in community with those who were here long before all of us came here, to learn from them and tell stories responsibly, in a way that honours all of that history."