When I arrived at the airport, the immigration officer greeted us by saying
"Welcome home."
I have never regretted my decision to come to Canada.
My name is Hamza Kadri.
I am Algerian by birth, and I am going to settle here in Winnipeg.
I found out about the Francophone immigration program
in Manitoba at Destination Canada, in Paris.
To properly prepare, I contacted a lot of organizations here in Winnipeg,
and we were able to come up with a well-defined settlement plan.
Welcome to Canada. Yes.
Good day, young man.
It was a truly marvellous feeling, the feeling of my new life that was going
to begin that night here in Canada.
All of my family are very happy to be here.
Looks like "we're going to make it, we're going to make it".
My name is Marina Mousougamouiti.
I am from Gabon and I've been living in Vancouver for 3 months now.
I have used the services of the FFCB, because they are free,
and it has helped a lot with my integration.
Good day. How do you do?
Very well. Welcome. Thank you.
The first week, they helped me get a bank card and a transit card.
They helped me look for housing and a job.
They gave me a lot of encouragement to get out and meet people,
the people in my community, even to meet Anglophones,
because that is the only way I will easily socialize and integrate.
In fact, integration is not all that difficult.
They gave me self-confidence: I feel more autonomous, more confident.
My name is Salvator Havyarimana.
I am from Burundi.
I have been living here in Ottawa for 2 and a half years.
I am Deco's father.
There are services that welcome children, give them guidance
and see that they are monitored.
These settlement workers welcome them upon their arrival and as a result,
even the child has no fear, no apprehension.
He had me visit the school, he took me to my classroom, he introduced my teachers,
he really helped me.
What I really appreciate is that they keep an eye on the child and make sure
that the child integrates.
I find that today Deco is perfectly integrated, he is so happy now in school,
and he enjoys helping newcomers integrate as well.
My name is Magali Perreard.
I am French, and now I live in Vancouver.
I heard about the LINC courses offered by the college, and I enrolled in one because it
was in French.
Not being a native English speaker, that seemed like a good option to me.
The LINC courses involve speaking English and using the language for different themes,
everything to do with health or laws.
For example, today we went to the People's Law School, which is in line with this month's
theme, which is to see a little of everything to do with law in different fields.
Also, I think that it is not just language courses,
it is also a connection and meeting people.
I also took some LINC to work courses, and that gave me lots of tips on writing résumés
and cover letters for interviews, and now I have a job.
So that is it, there is no question it has been a big help.
My name is Laura Huynh Lê.
I am a native of Belgium and now I am in Halifax.
Coming here I encountered various difficulties.
The biggest one was being able to compete with Anglophones in the job market.
To find a job I had to turn to certain French-language services.
Hello, how are you? Hello.
My name is Bruno, delighted to meet you. Likewise.
I was able to speak in my native language about my problems, and really communicate
and receive all information to my full potential.
They really helped me understand how to develop my resume.
I also went through a hiring interview simulation, to show me
the kind of questions that are going to be asked.
That really gave me the self-confidence to apply, to believe
I was prepared to face a Canadian employer.
Of course, the prospect of entering the job market was a little scary all the same,
but I wanted to meet the challenge, and I succeeded here.
My name is Albert, and I am from Cameroon.
We have been here in Canada for 2 years, to offer our children a brighter future.
I felt at home as soon as we arrived, because when I arrived at the airport the
immigration officer greeted us by saying "Welcome home".
He did not say "Welcome to Canada", but "Welcome home",
and to this day I truly feel at home.
I have really seen no limits to our integration.
If you think you are not at home here, right away you shut yourself off,
and people will not come looking for you.
Seek people out, be open.
That is what helped us with our integration,
because I know there are other people out there too.
When we say we have been here for 2 years, they are surprised,
they say, well, 2 years only, it went very fast.
That is true, because when we left we told ourselves: we have left now, we are making
this country our new country where the children will grow up.
It is better to transform your living environment into something that is attractive to
everyone, and to do that, you have to open up to other people.
My name is Hamadou Dosso.
I was born in France and am now living in Winnipeg.
I have been in Canada for 6 years.
Before settling in Canada, our main life plan was above all the success of our children.
Today, they are very fulfilled.
My family is fulfilled, and I am proud of them.
Today is a special day for us, because my family and I have always wanted to live in
Canada, so obtaining Canadian citizenship today makes this an exceptional day for me.
I have never regretted my decision to come to Canada.
It is true that we have had some hard times since arriving here,
but everyone has hard times.
We have come through and today we do not regret coming to Canada.
All rise. Please stand.
Becoming a Canadian citizen is a great honour for me, because the word "Canadian"
means a lot to me.
I have always wanted this for my family.
I have wanted us to be children of this country.
The Dosso family.
And I have wanted us to be people who contribute to the success of this country.
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