Canadian Somali Congress President interviewed by Nil Koksal of CBC News as part of a television series entitled “Canadian Dream.” The series examines the successes and challenges that face different communities in Canada. This particular segment centered on the successes and challenges of the Canadian Somali community.
The vast majority of Somalis in Canada are no longer immigrants but are Canadian citizens. Despite this fact, various levels of government and the mainstream community mistakenly continue to view Canadian Somalis as immigrants or recently-arrived refugees. This is evidenced by the fact that emphasis is placed on immigrant settlement services and language programs for a community that settled in this country decades ago.
The real need of the community is integration into the Canadian mainstream. This can be achieved by a policy shift that emphasizes access to jobs and professions. Nowhere is this shift more needed than in Alberta where 30 young Canadian Somalis have been killed in the last 5 years.
Despite the high number of deaths in Alberta, Ahmed Hussen noted that the vast majority of Canadian Somali youth are law abiding and productive citizens who are graduating from post-secondary institutions in record numbers.
watch the CBC News interview:
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Canadian Somali Congress president interviewed by CBC News
Published: May 28, 2010
