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April 25, 2003
On a Visit to Canada after Half a Century
I have just returned to the US from a brief visit to Toronto and adjoining areas where I had gone from Connecticut to spend a few days with my friend and former colleague, Syed Osman Sher, whose name might not be unfamiliar to the readers of Pakistan Link since his thought-provoking contributions have been appearing from time to time in this weekly. Then, I also wanted to be present at the Nikah function of Tazeen, the daughter of another dear friend, Fasihuddin, former Economic Adviser, Government of Pakistan.
The bride will secure her PhD in Economics this fall from a British university and has already been selected by the World Bank for the position of Young Professional and will join the Bank in September. She has been like my own daughter from her childhood.
I traveled the long distance by bus to gain a fresh feeling of the land where I had spent almost six years of my first posting as Information Officer at our embassy in Ottawa. That was half a century back -1950-56.
It was an exhilarating experience to witness the progress Canada has made over the past half a century. No wonder, it is now accepted as the best country in the world for human habitation. Unlike in many other parts of the world, the Third World in particular, the Canadians have contributed to and enhanced the natural charms of the vast territory. The Canadian National (CN) Tower in Toronto which is now the tallest structure in the world, and the gigantic sky-dome, a coliseum whose roof folds to make the stadium an open air facility, testify to the Canadian constructive ingenuity.
The great lakes -Erie, Superior, Ontario, Huron, and Michigan- holding one-fourth of the world’s entire fresh water, provide scenic beauty and resources hardly matched by any other area. Outdoor recreation in the Great Lakes region has become a way of life. A well-defined four-season climate supports many types of recreation opportunities.
The US and Canadian territories surrounding the lakes have almost 4 million recreational boats. Our bus traveled along Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, and I was surprised to see so many boats at anchor or on sail. Income from commercial fishing is estimated at $4 billion annually. It was a real treat to eat the white fish of the lakes. Of course the culinary excellence of Sher’s daughter-in-law had enhanced the inherent taste of the fresh water fish.
Then, there is the Niagara Falls, a world wonder that attracts millions of visitors each year. Nature has, no doubt, left an indelible mark on the Niagara region. Our bus traveled along the banks of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and through the town of Niagara Falls affording us a glimpse of the beauties and attractions of the region.
The Falls with the height of 54 meters on the Canadian side, and 184 ft on the US side, are true wonders of nature and have continued to attract celebrities and common folks alike from all parts of the world.
My visit, as already mentioned above, was strictly of a personal nature. But, I could not avoid gaining certain impressions on the problems and attainments of the South Asian community, particularly as I had the advantage of attending several functions, dinners and other gatherings of the community. And, I was constantly in the company of a historian and thinker like Osman Sher. He gave me an outline of his new book, almost ready for print, in which he is touching upon an unusual aspect of Muslim history in India.
Bulk of the young men I talked to comprised well-qualified technocrats and other professionals. Naturally they were concerned about the economic recession and its fallout on their personal prospects.
Canada continues to be a land of opportunities, a hospitable land with immense prospects for a person committed to labor and live well. Persons who retain the cultural baggage of their native land, particularly the feudal value system which unfortunately pervades all other walks of life too, start missing servants and subordinates and the birth (caste) privileges soon after arrival in this country. Many go back, particularly the scions of feudal families.
Very happy with the way of life in his country of adoption was the owner of a restaurant imaginative named “The Oasis” in Mississauga, a city in the Greater Toronto Area, that has a vast concentration of Indian and Pakistani communities. Mr. Viquar, the owner, was a professor of English in Islamabad and in a Far Eastern country. In Mississauga, he and his wife run the restaurant and earn a good living. It is hard work, he said, but it is worth it. His wife is a gourmet cook. Her delicious dishes attract customers as much as the entertaining conversation of her husband, free of any intellectual arrogance.
Conversations invariably veered towards the treatment meted out to Pakistani Canadians at the American border. Many have stopped traveling to the US for fear of being harassed at the border. Several letters describing personal experiences appeared in Canadian dailies even during my brief stay. The out of status Pakistanis who decide to migrate to Canada rather than being deported to Pakistan where they have no root and source of sustenance left, face many difficulties before getting refugee status in Canada and finding a livelihood. This group comprises those aggressive and enterprising individuals who had crossed many hurdles to reach the US and are now seeking a new haven in Canada. They are high achievers and are hardly thwarted by problems. Seen in this perspective, one is led to believe that the American loss has been a Canadian gain.
Pakistani community is concentrated in some localities of Mississauga. One of these is called “Begumpura”. The economic stringency has forced several men to leave their wives and children behind and to go to the Middle East to earn a living. Common predicament has compelled the Begums to flock together to form Begumpura.
Back in 1956 when I was leaving Canada to take up my new assignment in Jakarta, only 56 Pakistani nationals had applied for Canadian nationality against an annual quota of 150. The push and pull factors have both combined to swell the community into lakhs; I could not get the exact figure. Three radio stations -two in Punjabi and one in Urdu -broadcast around the clock to the community in the Toronto region. That should give an idea of the strength of the community.
Politically-minded members of the community vehemently supported the stance of Prime Minister Jean Christien vis-à-vis the United States. They were not disappointed or unhappy that President Bush had just cancelled the visit to Canada as a retort to Canadian government’s decision to stand out on the war in Iraq.
They hailed the victory, announced on April 14, of a federalist party in the elections in Quebec as that indirectly strengthened the hands of Prime Minister Jean Chretien. The separatists, advocating a sovereign Quebec state, had almost won the vote in the 1995 referendum on the issue.
The French-speaking voters of Quebec might have taken into account the anti-US stance of Chretien regime over the war in Iraq. That was in line with the French Government’s stand too.
It was also often mentioned that a senior member of the Chretien government had called President Bush “a moron”.
One Christien enthusiast commented: “It is not just one moron responsible for the war but the entire cabal whose main focus is on their personal interests rooted in oil and the money of the Jewish lobby.” I found newspapers full of comments against the “preemptive” war. The chief impression in this respect that I have brought back with me to the US is that the Canadians enjoy now more freedom of expression than American nationals whose forte, the freedom of expression, has been abridged noticeably by the Patriot Act, Security and Immigration laws and the tendentious media.
As for the current glitch in US-Canada relations, I firmly believe it to be just a passing phase. The situation on the ground dictates friendly, cooperative and complementary relations. Sixty per cent of all Canadian exports are to the US, while twenty per cent of the huge quantities of American exports go to Canada. Culturally, the two countries are closest to each other. The current wrinkle in their relations will therefore smooth out before long.
(The writer may be reached by e-mail at: arifhussaini@hotmail.com, or by phone at (714)921-9634)
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