True story: When I was about 5 years old, I clearly remember watching the first ever item on the nightly news that captured my interest, and probably contributed to my own unique political junkie-ness. Some kids might remember the moon landing, so they became sci-fi geeks, others might remember a Kennedy assassination, or a Nixon resignation that had an impact on them. Oddly enough the first thing I remember watching was the fall of Saigon unfolding.
Then, (in hindsight this is all kind of weird considering that my parents are far more conservative than me), my parents who at the time were quite involved with their Church, within months started sponsoring Vietnamese boat people to come to Canada. We got involved with one family in particular, and I was, and still am so amazed by what what wonderful, grateful, kind and beautiful people they were. I remember how for years, once they got a little established, they'd come by with Vietnamese food at Christmas, or vegetables from their garden, and just what wonderful people they were. Their family really thrived here too, and always gave back to the community.
So when I think of multiculturalism, I often think about welcoming those that are in crisis. My own mothers family came to Canada as a Russian and Ukrainian couple with 2 little girls escaping first Nazi Germany, and then a completely destroyed Europe. The story of the Syrian family drowning is truly horrific, but its only one of many cases that our government, and also our citizens willfully look away from, or outright say 'not in my neighbourhood', or 'not on my dime'.
...ok, that's my little rant.
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