Refugees who made a difference in Canada

In the days following the deadly attacks in Paris, anti-refugee sentiment has become a common occurrence on social media, in political speeches and statements and even by some members of the media.

Some American politicians have said their U.S. states will be closed to Syrian refugees — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie going so far as to say he wouldn’t even want children or “orphans under five,” while Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said Canada should suspend the plan to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees before the end of the year.

But rather than fearing refugees, people should be generous and welcoming, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright wrote in a Time article published online Tuesday. Albright — herself is a refugee to the United States after her family was exiled from Czechoslovakia 67 years ago — said statements about closing borders or denying refugees safe havens are “motivated by fear, not by the facts.”

“Our enemies have a plan. They want to divide the world between Muslims and non-Muslims, and between the defenders and attackers of Islam. By making Syrian refugees the enemy, we are playing into their hands,” she wrote.

Following reports of violence, hatred and racism here in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement Wednesday calling on Canadians to be better citizens.

“Diversity is Canada’s strength,” Trudeau said. “Canadians understand that religious groups around the world suffer persecution regularly at the hands of violent extremists. Our focus must be on stopping the people responsible for the terror, and continuing to fight hate by embracing Canadian values.”

As Canada begins welcoming Syrian refugees, as well as people from other countries escaping turmoil, persecution and war, it is worth noting how many refugees have gone on to do amazing things in their new Canadian homes. This includes award-winning authors, a musician, a chess champion, a new federal cabinet minister and two former governor generals.

Maryam Monsef

Born in Afghanistan, federal Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef fled the terror and oppression of the Taliban with her mother and sisters when she was 11 years old. Her father had been killed years earlier after, the family believes, he was caught in crossfire between the border of Iran and Afghanistan. When her family members arrived in Canada, they settled in Peterborough, Ont., and relied on local charities to start their new life. As she grew older, Monsef gave back by volunteering and she has also co-founded the Red Pashmina Campaign, which has raised more than $150,000 for women and girls in Afghanistan.

K’naan

Keinan Abdi Warsame, the rapper and political activist better known as K’naan, fled the civil war in Somalia in 1991 with his family and stayed in New York City for six months before moving to Toronto. He learned English by listening to hip hop albums and became a musician himself. In 1999, he addressed the United Nations, performing a spoken word piece about how the UN failed in its peacekeeping mission in Somalia. His song Wavin’ Flag was chosen as Coca-Cola’s anthem for the 2010 World Cup.

Michaëlle Jean

Former Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, but her family moved to Thetford Mines, Que., in 1968, escaping the dictatorial regime of the time. She taught Italian at the University of Montreal and worked at women’s shelters while attending school. She went on to become a well-known journalist before serving as governor general between 2005 and 2010. She is currently the Secretary-General of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie in Paris.

Kim Thuy

Author Kim Thuy was among 800,000 people who fled Vietnam in 1978 and 1979 following the Vietnam War, refugees often referred to as “boat people.” Her family settled in Montreal. She attended the University of Montreal and has degrees in law, linguistics and translation. In 2010, her book Ru won the Governor General Award for French language fiction. It was later translated to English and won this year’s Canada Reads competition by the CBC.

Adrienne Clarkson

Adrienne Clarkson was just three years old when her family fled Hong Kong during the Second World War. Penniless, they settled in Ottawa in 1941 where she eventually attended university, became a journalist with the CBC and, in 1991, she became Canada’s 26th governor general. Since serving as governor general, Clarkson has become a best-selling author, launched the Institute for Canadian Citizenship to help new citizens in Canada integrate into Canadian life, established the Clarkson Cup for women’s hockey and was named the Colonel-in-Chief of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in 2007 by the Queen.

Peter C. Newman

The well-known journalist and author, Peter C. Newman was just 11 years old when his family fled the Nazis in Czechoslovakia in 1940. The family moved to Toronto and Newman attended a private school, but was known there as a “war guest.” He has written more than 30 books, including several volumes of The Canadian Establishment, which catalogues wealthy and influential Canadians, The Secret Mulroney Tapes and When the Gods Changed: The Death of Liberal Canada.

Fedir Bohatyrchuk

An international master of chess and medical doctor, Fedir Bohatyrchuk fled Ukraine in 1948. During the Second World War, he headed the Ukrainian Red Cross and worked at the Institute of Experimental Medicine and was jailed by the Gestapo for a month for helping ease the suffering of Soviet prisoners of war. After moving to Prague, Bohatyrchuk joined the Committee for Freedom of Peoples in Russia, a group supported by both the Nazis and the coalition forces because they were anti-Soviet. He was given asylum in Canada following the war and went on to teach medicine at the University of Ottawa. He also played chess via mail and became the Canadian Correspondence Chess Champion in 1963 and 1964.

Dany Laferrière

French author Dany Laferrière (born Windsor Kleber) was raised by his grandmother in Haiti after his parents — his father, Windsor Kleber Laferrière Sr. was the former mayor of Port-au-Prince — went into exile, fearing the brutal Duvalier regime. He became a journalist in Haiti, but also fled in 1976 after a reporter he was working with on a story was murdered. He moved to Montreal and worked in factories before writing his first novel, How to Make Love to a Negro Without Getting Tired. In 2009, Laferrière’s book L'Énigme du retour, won the prix Médicis. In 2013, he was the first Haitian and Canadian named to the Académie française, the French council dedicated to matters involving the French language.