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BԪַWe had so many hopesBԪַ: Syrian refugee family reflects on decade in Canada

As of fall, 2024, Canada had roughly 1,600 pending refugee claims from Syria
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From left, Selena Moushli, 6, Mila Moushli, 2, Mahmoud Moushli, Ghena Moushli, 14, and Amani Shamseddin, pictured at their home in Edmonton, on Wednesday January 1, 2025. After almost a decade in Canada, Shamseddin says she never couldBԪַve imagined her familyBԪַs escape from Syria and the community theyBԪַve now found in Edmonton. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

When asked about her life in Syria a decade ago, Amani Shamseddin struggles to find the words.

Sitting on the couch in her Edmonton home as her children clamour for her attention, she pauses to think.

BԪַIt wasnBԪַt safe, we had so many incidents,BԪַ the 33-year-old says after a moment. BԪַI donBԪַt want to bring it back.BԪַ

In the fall of 2015, the newly elected Liberal federal government embarked on its pledge to resettle 25,000 Syrians fleeing the countryBԪַs brutal civil war in just 100 days.

Since then, Canada has welcomed more than 100,000 Syrian refugees.

Among them were Shamseddin, her husband Mahmoud and their children Ahmad and Ghena, who were eight and four when the family fled Damascus in April 2016. The family briefly stayed in Lebanon before securing asylum in Canada.

According to Global Affairs Canada, more than 250,000 people have died in the Syrian conflict that began in 2011, and there are more than seven million internally displaced Syrians and six million Syrian refugees around the world.

After almost a decade in Canada, Shamseddin says she never couldBԪַve imagined her familyBԪַs escape and the community theyBԪַve now found in Edmonton. While settling in a new country has had its challenges, their journey to safety is something she doesnBԪַt take for granted.

BԪַWe had so many hopes,BԪַ she says, smiling.

Every day in Damascus was filled with fear, Shamseddin explains. Airstrikes rattled their home, and countless neighbours died as they fled for their lives. Shamseddin says she was scared to send Ahmad to school or have Ghena start kindergarten as bombs detonated in the city.

Her family didnBԪַt think much about the future, she says, because they were only trying to survive each day.

BԪַI never thought about my life later on, because I didnBԪַt know what might change,BԪַ she says. BԪַWe think day by day.BԪַ

BԪַIt was terrifying.BԪַ

It was late 2015 when they learned that Canada could offer them a future. They already had some relatives in Alberta, who encouraged them to claim asylum. For Shamseddin, the choice was clear.

BԪַWe thought it might be a good opportunity for us and the kids for a better future,BԪַ she says. BԪַWe had hopes, but you never know if itBԪַs going to happen.BԪַ

A mosque and a church in Toronto teamed up to sponsor the family, and by the following April, they were on a plane.

Shamseddin, who was just 25 at the time, says she had never travelled farther than Lebanon. She remembers the moment the plane touched down at the Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

BԪַI (was) overwhelmed by everything. I was just imagining it was going to be like paradise,BԪַ she says. BԪַWe were crying, in tears.BԪַ

Initially, the family struggled to settle in Toronto, she says. They were crammed in a tiny two-bedroom apartment and struggled with the cityBԪַs affordability crisis. Shamseddin says they also missed having an Islamic community nearby. A different culture, language and weather were all part of the challenge, too.

Three years ago, they moved to Edmonton to be closer to relatives. The relief of being near family was only made more powerful when they officially received Canadian citizenships.

BԪַWe felt that whenever we get our citizenship, we can go wherever we want BԪַ like our dream is coming true,BԪַ she says.

The feeling of safety is something she wishes for her family members still in Syria. Last month, the countryBԪַs president, Bashar Assad, fled the country after opposition forces seized Damascus. It marked a dramatic end to the Assad familyBԪַs 50-year control of the country and his own 14 years of rule defined by the civil war.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller has said Canada will continue to evaluate the asylum claims of people who have left Syria, even as some European countries are pausing those claims after the fall of the Assad regime.

Canada has roughly 1,600 pending refugee claims from Syria as of Sept. 30.

For Shamseddin, life since coming to Canada hasnBԪַt been easy. The family is still trying to keep up with the cost of living and now with four kids, she says she and her husband are always pressed for time.

But their challenges havenBԪַt stopped them from moving forward, she says.

While seven months pregnant with her youngest child, Shamseddin began studying to become a teacherBԪַs assistant, which she describes as BԪַso hard.BԪַ She went on to earn her diploma and now works at a local school, while her husband works in maintenance.

Her eldest son Ahmad, now 17 and in his final year of high school, plans to become a doctor. Ghena, now in Grade 9, hopes to become a nurse. The coupleBԪַs two youngest children, Selena and Mila, were both born in Canada and are now aged six and two.

When reflecting on their years in Canada and the war they escaped, Shamseddin says she encourages her children to learn from their journey, and to always stay resilient.

BԪַBe the best example of a Syrian, a Muslim, a human being,BԪַ she tells them. BԪַNo matter what challenge you face.BԪַ





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