Winnipeggers express what Canada means to them, from freedom to the need for reflection
The freedom to choose what clothes to wear, to laugh as loud as you want and do what your heart desires isn’t lost on Shahla Pourzahed.
She was among dozens of people who gathered for a Canada Day celebration organized by the Iranian Community of Manitoba at St. Vital Park on Monday.
Pourzahed migrated from Iran to Canada 10 years ago and she is thankful for the freedoms she has.
“No one tell me what to do, what to put on, where to go, how to laugh … that’s what happened in unfortunately in [Iran]. So I chose to bring my kids here so they can choose what they want to be, what they want to do during their life,” she said.
“I think this is a very, very basic right of people. Unfortunately, it’s violated back home in Iran. So we chose to come here.”
Pourzahed appreciates “everything here” in Canada, including the ability to have conversations with local politicians on Canada’s national holiday.
“We stand with them, we talk to them, we mentioned our problems and that’s amazing,” she said.
Originally from Iran, Kourosh Doustshenas has been in Canada for more than 35 years. He cherishes the freedom he has.
“Canada means freedom. Canada means inclusion. Canada means like a place, safe place for people to have a civilized discourse and with no barriers or possibility to do whatever you want to do in a country within our boundaries of the rights and freedoms, which is amazing for us all,” Doustshenas said.
‘We take it for granted, this freedom’
The celebration also afforded the Women, Life, Freedom movement the opportunity to spread its message.
Arian Arianpour, president of the Iranian Community of Manitoba, said the purpose of the movement is to try to defend the human rights of the Iranian people through various initiatives.
“If we have members of other communities join these events, we will talk to them, we will explain the situation in Iran and we will explain why we have chosen today as another occasion to support the human rights of the Iranian people,” Arianpour said.
An art piece that wove maple leafs together, created by Maryam Bagheri, was part of the celebration. Bagheri has lived in Canada for nearly 18 years since migrating from Iran.
Bagheri said that despite opposition to Canada Day by some people, she wants to use her talents to showcase her freedom and share a message deeply important to her.
“Sometimes I have this sense of guilt that I’m free here. I can be whoever I want to be. But then a woman in Iran, they tried their best to have the basic, you know, human rights. They fight for it hard. They risk their life for it. But here in Canada, we live, we take it for granted this freedom,” she said.
“That’s my sense sometimes, but I do whatever I can to support them, to help them and to be the voice of them.”
WATCH | Winnipeg’s Iranian Community highlights human rights for Canada Day:
The Iranian Community of Manitoba celebrated Canada Day at St. Vital Park in Winnipeg while recognizing Women, Life, Freedom — a slogan used in protests in Iran following a young woman’s death in police custody in 2022..
The group also dedicated Sunday as a day of reflection and support for human rights.
Canada Day should be day of reflection, says Indigenous elder
Canada Day doesn’t hold the same weight of freedom for some members of the Indigenous community who attended the 2Spirit Manitoba presentation at The Forks on Monday.
Charlotte Nolin, a residential school survivor who often shares the trauma she experienced in her youth, was at The Forks.
“The first 19 years of my life is documented on 12 pages of paper, single sided, and it speaks that I had a beautiful childhood growing up. But they don’t speak of all the atrocities that happened, you know, the beatings, the sexual attacks I received because of who I am,” Nolin said.
Despite her personal pain, the large number of young Indigenous people at the event brightened her spirit.
“Seeing all the young people there and that want learn,” Nolin said. “To me that means that the future, they’ll have the knowledge and hopefully things will be easier for them. We’ve come a long ways from when I was young and it was a dangerous time here in Canada.”
The 73-year-old said it’s not as important to celebrate Canada Day as much as it is to celebrate who we are as human beings.
Elder Barbara Bruce, a member of 2Spirirt Manitoba, told CBC News that young Indigenous people should be proud of who they are.
She also said instead of celebration, Canada Day should be a day of “reflection and discernment” about what happened historically to Indigenous people.
“Canadians have to start acknowledging the history of First Nation, Métis and Inuit people in this country,” Bruce said.
“We’re part of the founding of the province and we’re part of Canada … but there’s still a lot of work to be done in this country to accept Indigenous people.”
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