Examining the Lived Experiences of Integration by Refugees Residing in Winnipeg, Manitoba by Maja Aziraj A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Family Social Sciences University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Copyright © 2018 Maja Aziraj i Acknowledgements I have faced many struggles and obstacles in the writing of this thesis, and although at times it felt as if I would never complete it, I am grateful for the people along the way who helped me in one way or another. First of all, I would like to thank my first three academic advisers, Wilder Robles, Rachel Eni and Regine King, and my committee members, Caroline Piotrowski and Jessica Senehi for their guidance, patience and support. I also want to send a special thank-you to Andrew Hatala for his dedication and support, but especially for motivating and believing in me during a time of high stress. His support was invaluable. I feel very much indebted to all my informants for their significant contribution. For the individuals who shared their stories with me and gave me their time from their very busy schedule. I would also like to give special thank-you to my husband Peter Harrison Brown, my best friend and strongest supporter. He and our daughter, Emma have sacrificed a lot during the writing of this thesis. Finally, I would like to thank my dad, Mirsad Aziraj for always believing in me and telling me that I could do anything. Losing him during the writing of this thesis was the biggest struggle I faced and continue to deal with every day. I know you are proud of me. I love you. Thank you all very much, Maja Aziraj i Table of Contents List of Tables and Figures .......................................................................................................... iv Abstract ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........v Chapter 1: Introduction ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............1 1.1. Demographics of Refugees in Canada ................................ ................................ ....................1 1.2. My Refugee Experience ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........4 1.3. Research Question ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................5 Chapter 2: Literature Review and Theoretical Framework ................................ .....................7 2.1. Literature Review................................ ................................ ................................ ......................7 2.1.1. The Manitoba Context ................................ ................................ ................................ .10 2.2. Theoretical Framework ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........19 2.2.1. John Berry’s Acculturation Framework ................................ ................................ ......19 2.2.2. Limitations of John Berry’s Acculturation Framework ................................ ...............22 2.2.3. Social Capital Theory ................................ ................................ ................................ ..23 Chapter 3: Methodology ................................ ................................ ................................ .............26 3.1. Overview ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ 26 3.2. Participants ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 27 3.3. Confidentiality ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................29 3.4. Ethical Issues ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........................30 3.5. Data Collection ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................30 3.6. Potential Distress ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................31 3.7. Data Analysis ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........................32 3.8. Reflections on the Research Process ................................ ................................ .......................34 3.8.1. Difficulties Encountered ................................ ................................ .............................. 35 3.9. Methodological Rigour ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........36 Chapter 4: Results ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................38 4.1. Introduction ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................. 38 4.2. Life During the First Year ................................ ................................ ................................ .......39 4.2.1. Canada as a Prosperous Destination ................................ ................................ ........39 4.2.2. Problems with the First Year of Arrival ................................ ................................ ..40 4.2.3 Cold Canadian Winters ................................ ................................ ............................. 44 4.2.4. Learning the Language ................................ ................................ ............................44 ii 4.3. Social Connections as a Lifeline .............................................................................................45 4.3.1. Social Networks .......................................................................................................45 4.3.2. Connections to Assistance .......................................................................................48 4.3.3. Bond with Faith/Cultural Group ..............................................................................52 4.4. Employment in Winnipeg .......................................................................................................54 4.4.1. Back to School .........................................................................................................54 4.4.2. Journey to Employment ..........................................................................................55 4.5. Integration Experiences ..........................................................................................................56 4.5.1. Longing for Family Back Home ..............................................................................56 4.5.2. Struggles with Life in Winnipeg ..............................................................................57 4.5.3. Successes with Life in Winnipeg .............................................................................59 4.5.4. Feelings of Integration .............................................................................................60 Chapter 5: Discussion .................................................................................................................64 5.1. How Refugees Experience Integration in Winnipeg ..............................................................64 5.2. The Importance of Social Capital ...........................................................................................67 5.3. Implications for Social Programs and Refugee Services ........................................................70 5.4. Future Research ......................................................................................................................72 5.5. Limitations of the Present Study ............................................................................................73 5.6. Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................75 References ....................................................................................................................................77 Appendix ......................................................................................................................................88 Appendix 1. Participant Recruitment Poster ......................................................................88 Appendix 2. Interview Schedule ........................................................................................89 Appendix 3. Participant Consent Form ..............................................................................92 Appendix 4. Ethics Certificate ...........................................................................................95 iii List of Tables and Figures Table Page 1. Top 5 Countries of Origin 2016...................................................................................... 2 2. Syrian Refugees by Province Between November 2015-July 2016................................ 3 3. Refugees in Manitoba by Metropolitan Area, January 2015-May 2017......................... 4 4. Berry’s (1984) Acculturation Model .............................................................................. 20 5. Master Themes and Subthemes ...................................................................................... 38 Figure Page 1. The Role of the Larger Society ...................................................................................... 21 iv Abstract This thesis examines the integration experiences of refugees in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Using Berry’s acculturation model and Social Capital theory, this research aims to gain a critical understanding of the challenges facing these newcomers during their integration experiences. This research used qualitative methods through semi-structured interviews with three participants. Results have shown that that the pathway to integration is not fixed, but rather fluid and may change over time. Findings indicate that forming social networks with the larger Canadian society and within faith/cultural groups are significant factors to refugees’ feelings of integration. This study suggests that social programs and refugee services in Winnipeg create opportunities for networking and collaboration amongst each other by sharing information, new innovations and best practices. It is also suggested that social programs and refugee services should also support the Canadian society in its process of adaptation to newcomers. v Chapter 1: Introduction The migration of individuals from one place to another has occurred throughout history. For thousands of years, migrants around the world have chosen to leave their home countries on discovery missions and in search of a better life in foreign places. Unfortunately, many others with little choice have been forced to leave their place of birth. Unlike immigrants, refugees are individuals who have not chosen to leave their home countries. Instead, they have often faced conflict and persecution and have had to settle into new communities with little or no resources. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the lived experiences of integration by refugees residing in Winnipeg, Manitoba. More specifically, the goal of this research is to gain first-hand knowledge from refugees regarding their lived experiences of settling and integrating into Winnipeg, Manitoba. The focus is on understanding the social, economic and cultural factors and contexts that hinder or promote the integration of refugees into Canadian society. It is important to understand the integration experiences of newcomers as they help our province grow, become stronger and add to the cultural diversity that already exists. Gaining insight into refugees’ lived integration experiences can help to facilitate the overall settlement process for newcomers in our province by informing policy makers and developers of social programs. As this thesis outlines below, there are important reasons for choosing to focus on the lived experiences of refugees and integration. 1.1. Demog raph i cs o f Ref uge es Cina nad a By the end o 2f014, out of a growing population of 7 billion inhabitants on the entir5e9 p.5la net, million individuawlse re forcibly displac eads a result of persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or human rights violations (UNHCR, 2T01h5is) .i st he highesat nnual increase in a single year wit8h. 3 million persons more than the year b(eUfoNreH CR, 2015)O. f particular 1 concern is the rapid acceleration of displacement that has occurred in the last three years. Since 2011, the world has been challenged with a 40% increase in displaced persons, when the levels stood at 42.5 million (UNHCR, 2015). Out of the 59.5 million displaced persons worldwide in 2014, 19.5 million were considered refugees (UNHCR, 2015). In the same year, Canada hosted 29,812 refugees (Statistics Canada, 2016). As the numbers of refugees continues to increase in Canada, research focusing on their integration and settlement experience is becoming more important. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Canada resettl ed 46,700 refugees in 2016, marking the largest number of refugees admitted in a single year since 1978, when the Immigration Act came into effect (Nyembwe, 2017). The top country of origin for the same year was Syria (UNHCR, 2016). Table 1. Top 5 Countries of Origin 2016 Country Number of Refugees Syria 33,266 Eritrea 3,934 Iraq 1,650 Congo 1,644 Afghanistan 1,354 The recent increase in the number of refugees in Canada can be attributed to the Government of Canada’s initiative to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by 2016. As of January 29, 2017, 40,081 Syrian refugees have been resettled under the initiative (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2017). Between November 2015 and July 2016, the Province of Manitoba 2 welcomed 988 Syrian refugees (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2016a). Table 2 outlines the number of Syrian refugees welcomed to Canada by province between November 2015 and July 2016 (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2016b). Table 2. Syrian Refugees by Province Between November 2015-July 2016 NL PEI NS NB QC ON MB SK AB BC YT Not Stated 282 215 1,061 1,421 5,674 12,377 988 1,188 3,700 2,610 11 19 The province of Manitoba is a popular destination choice for many refugees, with roughly 1,000 people arriving annually for the last 10 years (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2012). In 2014, Manitoba settled 435 government-assisted refugees (6%) and 1,004 privately sponsored refugees, the highest number per capita in Canada (Manitoba Labour and Immigration, 2015). About 57% of government-assisted refugees came to Manitoba from Somalia, Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo and Eritrea, and about 92% of privately sponsored refugees came from Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia and Democratic Republic of Congo (Manitoba Labour and Immigration, 2015). According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (2017), the city of Winnipeg settled a total of 6,420 refugees between January 2015 to May 2017 (see Table 3). 3 Table 3. Refugees in Manitoba by Metropolitan Area, January 2015-May 2017 Metropolitan Area (Manitoba) Number of Refugees Winnipeg 6,065 Brandon 125 Steinbach 30 Other-Manitoba 205 Manitoba Total 6,420 1.2. My Refugee Experience Self-reflexivity is of particular importance in qualitative research. It is argued that researcher’s need to place a focus on self-knowledge and sensitivity, understand the role of self in the creation of knowledge and self-monitor the impact of their personal experiences on their research (Berger, 2013). According to Berger (2013), self-reflexivity can impact the research process in three ways. First, the researcher may gain greater access to participant s as individuals feel more comfortable sharing their experiences with someone who they perceive as empathetic to their experiences (Berger, 2013). Second, reflexivity can shape the relationship between the researcher and participant, which can affect the i nformation the participants are willing to share (Berger, 2013). Third, the background of the researcher affects the way in which he or she constructs the world and thus may shape the conclusions and findings of the study (Berger, 2013). I was born in Sarajevo in 1987, the capital city of Bosnia -Herzegovina, formerly known as Yugoslavia. I lived with my mother, father and brother in a small apartment in the centre of the city. When I was five years old, a civil war had started in my country that forced my mother, 4