the CanadaVisa Team - 20 July, 2015
In an effort to shed light on the important contributions made across Canada by immigrants, an innovative program is bringing their stories throughout the country. The Passages to Canada program brings first hand accounts of immigrant experiences and contributions to Canadian society to a variety of different audiences.
A joint undertaking between Heritage Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the non-profit Dominion Institute with support from the private sector, the Passages to Canada program has built up a diverse roster of over 600 immigrants who came to Canada from locations spanning the globe. These immigrants are recruited to the program to share their stories with youth, business groups and newcomers to Canada. At one such recent event at a Parry Sound, Ontario public school, Member of Parliament and former Ontario cabinet minister, Tony Clement, told of his own move to Canada with his family when he was a child. While his parents initially considered other destinations as well, Mr. Clement said “I’m thankful everyday that my parents chose to come to Canada.”
In addition to arranging for speaking engagements, the Passages to Canada program has expanded into other means of sharing immigrants’ stories with the Canadian public. The program has created a digital archive which houses a multimedia collection of audio and video interviews with immigrant participants. The program has also produced a resource guide to help schoolteachers integrate lessons about the contributions made by immigrants to Canadian life into the curriculum.
