“In Iqaluit, Francophones are Francophones everywhere. French Africans, Francophones, French speaking Canadians, people from Australia, Madagascar, Haiti. It really is a cultural mix.”
“We are very proud of that at AFN and are working to develop this Francophone group there to allow the community to thrive,” says Christian Oaka.
He personally plans to invite his family to visit him “when the weather is less cold” and the pandemic permits, in a year or two. “I want them to find out the other extreme a little bit…because in Côte d’Ivoire the temperatures are always above 25 degrees Celsius!”
An unfinished immigration story
Since arriving in Canada, Christian has only returned to his homeland twice, in 2014 and 2018.
This year, he hopes to be able to go home to spend Christmas with his family. “It will be my first birthday with them in eight years.”
Christian also submitted his application for permanent residence last March through the program Express Entry – The Canadian Experience. It is expected that his application for Canadian citizenship will be pursued as soon as possible. In fact, he intends to stay at least another ten years!
Sophie Laurent is a contributor to Vaughantoday.ca, covering a wide range of topics including local news, politics, business, technology, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting that helps readers stay informed about current events and issues that matter to their communities. Sophie is committed to presenting accurate information, practical insights, and relevant stories in a straightforward and reader-friendly manner, making complex topics accessible to a broad audience.