Syrian refugees welcomed to Canada return the favour to Ukrainians fleeing Russian invasion

This week marks the 11th anniversary of the start of the Syrian civil war.

Looking back at more than a decade of war, many members of Manitoba's Syrian community are painfully reminded of its effects as they witness the devastating invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops.

In 2021, 80,000 refugees were resettled in Canada, with approximately  2,500 of them resettling in Manitoba, according to Immigrate Manitoba.

Joseph Chaeban is a refugee from Lebanon. He came to Canada in 1988. He owns Chaeban Ice Cream with his wife Zainab Ali and partner Darryl Stewart.

Chaeban says the moniker of Friendly Manitoba is true — Winnipeggers didn't hesitate when he asked for help in bringing his wife's family, who are Syrian refugees, to Winnipeg. 

"I just said, 'My wife's family needs help,'" Chaeban said.

"They brought three families to Canada and it was a total of 13 people. They gathered over a $150,000 for them. It's like seeing angels."

When asked about Ali's reaction to Canada preparing for an influx of refugees from Ukraine, he fought back tears.

"It brings back my memories. I wish it doesn't [happen as it did with] the Syrian war."

Maysoun Darweesh, the program co-ordinator at migration and resettlement at the Mennonite Central Committee of Manitoba and the executive director of Kurdish Initiative, a non-profit aimed to help support refugees, says in the last 11 years, the Syrian community has gone from feeling excitement and fear from being newcomers, to feeling resilience and gratefulness.

"I always like to use hope as a big word to represent how Syrians feel and live on a daily basis," Darweesh said.

She says refugees who came as children are now grown, with goals of pursuing more education. Many adults now have their own homes, a drivers licence, and are continuing their study of the English language. 

"For them, this is their country now. This is their final destination."

Darweesh says the start of the Ukrainian invasion was painful to the community, bringing the tragedy of the Syrian civil war to present-day Canada. She says the community condemns the Ukraine invasion.