Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wiped away tears during a roundtable with Syrian refugees and sponsors, when one of them a SyrianArmenian Vanig Garabedian recalled being greeted by the PM when he arrived in Canada one year ago, CBC News reported.
During the discussion at Toronto’s restaurant, the PM, Vanig Garabedian and others discussed the first year of the Syrian refugee program.
“When the plane landed at the airport, the first person we shook hands was the prime minister”, Garabedian said, after which the PM grabbed a napkin off the table and wiped his eyes.
Garabedian said landing in Toronto not only meant that he, his wife and daughters were safe, but also that they took “the responsibility of joining the Canadian family and trying to build this Canada, this country, this great nation”.
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“When I met Mr. Prime Minister at that moment, he said two words: ‘Welcome home.’ So imagine you are living in a warzone, you are leaving your home and you are welcomed by two words: welcome home,” Garabedian saying as quoted by CBC News. “So my memories of that moment went back to Syria before war, our life, our happiness there, and the horrible moments we went through during war. So I felt myself that I’m proud to be here”, he said.
In his turn the Canadian PM spoke about the importance of hosting over 25.000 Syrian refugees in Canada.
“Watching you and your girls walk through this airport toward me was a moment in which I understood just the kinds of things that we can do as a country and that I get to help this country do,” the PM saying as quoted by CBC News.