For the first time, several associations and social organisations working to welcome migrants to Edmonton, organised a meeting at the Cité Francophone in the evening to welcome them together and show the diversity of their proposals.

It turns out that more and more migrants are arriving in Edmonton on official visas, many of them from countries where French is the official language… Gerald Sseguya, a member of “Charism friends” of the congregation, works at Catholic Social Services in the new arrival immigration service. He invited me to join him for this special evening to meet French speakers from various countries and help welcome them.

I was able to talk to Cameroonians (including a mother who arrived very recently with her 2 daughters, who seemed sad and shy), Ivoirians and a man from Gabon, who are gradually discovering the reality of life in Canada. Those who arrived at the beginning of winter or in the middle of it haven’t forgotten the -40° temperatures they experienced for 4 days.

Those who arrived at the beginning of winter or in the middle of it haven’t forgotten the -40° they experienced for 4 days in January… The others will wait until next winter to ‘feel’ the Canadian cold.

As people introduced themselves to each association, they received a stamp corresponding to that association, which offered them the chance to taste a crêpe, in the flavour of their choice, cooked by Marie, a young woman who arrived from Cameroon 3 years ago and who has found a place for herself by cooking and selling crêpes at a farmer’s market 3 days a week.

The atmosphere was warm, with a violinist playing ‘Métis’ music (‘Métis’ refers to people who are descended from both Europeans and First Nations, and are therefore born of the intermingling of Aboriginal peoples and European races. Many of Canada’s Métis are descendants of French voyageurs and “coureurs de bois”). I thank Gerald very much for inviting me…

Sister Catherine Grasswill – Edmonton - Canada