Living up to its reputation as the kindly neighbor to the North, Canada is leaps and bounds ahead of the United States in terms of fulfilling its humanitarian responsibilities in accept Syrian refugees.
Canada is preparing to welcome around 25,000 Syrian refugees over the next few months. The current Liberal government made an issue of hosting the refugees in the recent election.
Canada has always been a welcoming place for visitors and migrants, although US citizens trying to enter the country with a DUI still have issues at the border.
But the Canadian government is not alone in its efforts. Ordinary Canadians are offering what help they can to their new neighbors. Anti-immigrant and Islamophoic rhetoric has breached Canada’s borders. But this is not preventing able bodied and nimble fingered citizens from making the new arrivals feel welcome.
Citizens across the country have signed up to knit a wooly winter hat for every new person arriving in the country this winter. That is 25,000 new hats, one for every incoming Syrian refugee.
The idea itself is beautiful. Babies born in Quebec are given knitted hats to wear when they leave the hospital. The hat represents a gift that welcomes the child to the world on behalf of the citizens of Quebec.
The same idea applies to the hats for the Syrian refugees.
Stories like this give real hope to those who are afraid that the fear-mongering produced by the media may be a reflection of reality. Listening to mainstream media alone would suggest that the world is a terrifying place. It would also