Winnipeg refugees remember sacrifices of veterans at home, in Canada

Ali Saeed still remembers his first Remembrance Day in Winnipeg 35 years ago.

Saeed, 65, was at his home near the Manitoba Legislative Building when he heard the cannons from the ceremony that Nov. 11.

"I heard a big blast," he told Nadia Kidwai, host of CBC's Weekend Morning Show, on Saturday. "[I thought], 'Let's go and see. I hope there is no war in Winnipeg.'"

Saeed came to Canada as a refugee in 1984 after being imprisoned and torturedin and around Ethiopia for protesting the military dictatorship in his home country.

He said he walked down to the legislative grounds in Winnipeg that day and quickly learned what was really happening.

"I saw many people standing there with a military uniform and those red flowers, the poppies," he said.

Saeed said Ethiopia has similar holidays to remember those who fought against the Italian invasion of the country, which began in 1935 and ended with Ethiopian independence in 1947.

"So many lives were taken, so many people died to save Ethiopia, and for us to be free. So that we will celebrate every year," he said.

Saeed said he also appreciates the sacrifices Canadianveterans made, and feels a sense of pride when he sees them at Remembrance Day ceremonies.

"They survived all that war and gave their lives and sacrificed whatever they had to serve this country and to make it home for everyone," he said. "I have a very big respect for them the same as Ethiopian veterans."

Sacrifice 'meaningless' without remembrance

Omran Zahrab, a Kurdish refugee who arrived in Winnipeg a year ago from Syria, said the sacrifices of Canadian veterans mean a lot to him.

"That's why I came here," said Zahrab, 36. "We should remember we came here to be Canadian, so we honour and remember more than a million Canadians who have served and continue to serve Canada during times of war, conflict and peace. If you don't remember, their sacrifice is meaningless."

Zahrab said Remembrance Day also makes him think of Kurdish fighters still on the ground in Syria today.

"They're still fighting, every single day, every single moment," he said. "We remember them because they gave their lives to achieve freedom and peace."

Zahrab said that's why he and other people from the city's Kurdish community are planning to attend the Remembrance Day ceremony Monday morning at the RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg.

"It's a kind of knowledge of the courage and sacrifice of those who served their country, and knowledge of our responsibility to work for the peace they fought hard to achieve," he said.

"We shouldn't remember the military only on Nov. 11. We should remember them every single day, every single moment we feel that we are in a free and peaceful country."