Members of the Lebanese-Montreal community are worried about their loved ones back home. They check in on them every day, sometimes more. And some would prefer to know they are safe with them in Canada.
“Lebanese expatriates are in survival mode: we function like robots because we stay glued to the news all the time. We cannot continue our lives normally knowing that our country is being destroyed,” says Nassam Charara, president of Tollab, the Federation of Lebanese Students in Montreal.
It was a celebratory night Thursday for Tollab, who awarded its annual scholarships at a reception downtown. But behind the smiles and chic outfits, worry was not far away.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The president of Tollab, Federation of Lebanese Students in Montreal, Nassam Charara
“All our parents are in Lebanon, we all have family there. As soon as something happens near them, I call them directly because it’s really stressful,” says Mme Charara.
“When it started a week ago, it was very difficult to study,” admits Élodie Ghalbouni, HEC student in marketing and entrepreneurship. His parents are here, but “I have friends whose parents live in southern Lebanon. When I’m with them, I see how they react, the stress they experience! »
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Marie Joe Abou Minsef and Elodie Ghalbouni
Marie Joe Abou Minsef’s grandparents live near the Dahieh district, the stronghold of Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of Beirut. “Every time there’s a bomb in Dahieh, we call them right away, and if they don’t respond immediately, we’re really scared,” says this dental student at McGill.
Wissam Salman’s family lives in the Chouf region, “a little spared from the troubles”, says this regional director for multicultural affairs at Scotiabank. “But everyone works in Beirut, so there’s always worry: are you going to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? »
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Wissam Salman
He and his parents are in daily contact with their family in Lebanon. “It’s always scary, but the Lebanese are a resilient people, it seems like not much scares them in life. »
Bring loved ones
At the Lebanese-Canadian Cultural Center, “the calls don’t stop. We have many, many requests,” says its president, Manal Jomaa. Members ask what the Canadian government is doing, if it will facilitate the issuance of visas for their loved ones living in Lebanon.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MANAL JOMAA
The president of the Lebanese-Canadian Cultural Center, Manal Jomaa
For the Ukrainians, it was done quickly, they had a very easy time. We too, the Lebanese, are quite present and involved in the Canadian community. Can we have equal treatment?
Manal Jomaa, president of the Lebanese-Canadian Cultural Center
The Lebanese-Canadian National Center also receives requests for information to help loved ones, but must stick to the official version. “As you know, so far, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, [Mélanie] Joly, refused to allow Canada to send planes or anything to bring out the Canadians who are there,” recalls the president of the Center, Ali Faour.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ALI FAOUR
The president of the Lebanese-Canadian National Center, Ali Faour
Ottawa has been recommending that Canadians leave Lebanon since October 2023. “Some airlines have already temporarily suspended their services to Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport. Further transport disruptions are likely,” Ottawa underlines in its travel advice page for Lebanon, updated Tuesday.
However, many Canadians living in Lebanon do not want to return here. This is the case of the mother, in her seventies, of Mme Jomaa. “We try to convince her, but you know, when you’re old… It bothers me. If the situation gets worse, I wonder how I’m going to get her out. »
Canadians in Lebanon don’t want to leave just yet because they are “simply used” to hearing explosions and continuing their lives as normal, says Ms.me Charara. Without forgetting all those whose “Lebanese diplomas will not be recognized here, in any province”, and for whom “it is just not realistic” to return here “to restart their studies or work for minimum wage” .
Stop the war, save civilians
Tollab is organizing a general assembly of its member student associations this Sunday “to see how we can organize a fundraiser for Lebanon as soon as possible”. And the following Saturday, the Federation will organize an online emotion management workshop, intended for students, for which it is looking for volunteer psychologists.
The Lebanese-Canadian National Center organized a demonstration in support of Lebanon with other groups at Dorchester Square this week. Another demonstration in support of Palestine and Lebanon is planned for Saturday in front of Carré Westmount.
“We are asking Canada to play an important role and take a position in this matter,” explains Mr. Faour. “Stop the war and save the lives of civilians. And I emphasize the word “civilians”, because the majority [de ceux] who were killed were civilians. »