Trudeau meets with local Afghan families
Marghana Elyaskhil’s life in Hamilton is coming together after arriving in Canada in October 2021 with her husband Ahmad Najib Wahidi and her 14-month-old daughter.
Elyaskhil, who was a dentist in Afghanistan, told The Spectator that after the Afghanistan government collapsed, “it was not safe for us to live there anymore.”
The borders were blocked, and it was getting harder to get to the airport with their then five-month-old daughter Harir despite several attempts, Elyaskhil said.
They finally escaped the country, finding refuge in Islamabad, Pakistan, for 25 days in September before setting out for Canada.
Two months after arriving, the family moved to Hamilton.
On Friday, Harir, now a toddler, sat on top of a table at Eastern Food Market on Upper Wentworth Street and enjoyed the “Baby Shark” video while her parents spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau was in Hamilton to meet with two families who are part of the at least 12,605 Afghan refugees that have arrived in Canada under a special immigration program that offered to welcome 40,000 refugees since the Taliban took over Afghanistan last August.
Of those, 415 Afghan refugees are housed in Hamilton, according to a government site.
Wahidi told Trudeau that they’ve “settled well” in the community, thanking the Canadian government for its “kindness.”
Elyaskhil said she is assisting a dentist in Hamilton, and working on a certification to bridge her educational gap.
“I’m going to become an independent dentist here, and want to have a clinic like I had one in Afghanistan,” she told The Spectator, adding that her husband has taken a job in IT.
The couple has also found a daycare for their child.
Wahidi praised the Trudeau government for its 2022 budget and plans for housing.
“You will be able to save up for the down payment. We’re ensuring that there’s more supply, and we’re making the market fairer” in the coming years, Trudeau told the family.
Trudeau’s eldest son, Xavier Trudeau, who was accompanying the prime minister, joined his father to greet the second Afghan family.
Speaking to Mirwaise Sadaat, his wife, Zuhal Sadaat, and three kids — Atresa (8), Zoya (6) and Haris (20 months) — Trudeau noted “there’s a lot of work to do” in realizing the goal of bringing 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada.
Trudeau empathized with Sadaat, who works at Global Affairs Canada, on the challenges that followed after the Taliban takeover, and praised him for his continued work in humanitarian assistance.
Dawood Younis, marketing manager at the Eastern Food Market, told The Spectator he was happy to host the prime minister at the store.
“The store serves many Muslims from varied backgrounds in the area, and also has refugees as employees, and it’s our way of giving back to the community.”
‘‘I’m going to become an independent dentist here, and want to have a clinic like I had one in Afghanistan.
MARGHANA ELYASKHIL AFGHAN IMMIGRANT