BCAA

Adam Blasburg (Padminee Chundunsing) SUMMER 2017 BCA A .COM 7 your BCAA I t was a chance meeting at a Surrey Walmart that changed everything for BCAA Executive Assistant Padminee Chundunsing. She had immigrated to Canada from Mauritius (an island in the Indian Ocean off Africa) to give her two kids a better life, settling in Vancouver. Those first months were difficult ones. The weather and culture were strange, and the family felt like they were the only French speakers in Western Canada. Then, one day in Walmart, Padminee overheard a woman speaking French. So grateful was she to hear the trill of her native tongue that she dumped her cart and ran after the woman. What followed was a connection that led her to volunteer helping French-speaking immigrants, and a new chapter in her life. Today, after serving as a board member for several years, Padminee is the president of the BC Francophone Federation, or La Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique. Over the years, she has dedicated thousands of hours and helped hundreds of immigrants – mostly French-speaking from Africa – settle in BC. There are currently around 360,000 French speakers who call British Columbia home and Padminee is working very hard to increase the numbers. She has done everything from picking them up at the airport and finding them a place to stay to feeding them and helping them find work. Most of them have gone on to jobs and successful careers, and opportunities for their children that wouldn't otherwise have been available to them. A few months ago, around 200 fellow immigrants gathered for a reunion after 12 years, and Padminee was amazed to see how much they had brought to their new land, and how many she had helped start their journey. "I don't regret for one minute coming to Canada," she says. "This is my little contribution for what Canada has given us. This journey continues and who knows what's next." ■ Bienvenue au Canada BCAA employee Padminee Chundunsing dedicates her life to helping French-speaking immigrants CANADA, MY HOME I feel so fortunate to be a Canadian citizen. My father grew up in India. He did his graduate studies in America in the 1950s and a work term in Canada. Although he loved all three countries, he and my mother chose to make Canada home. When I think about our country's many strengths – our diversity, compassion, generosity and openness – I feel grateful for their decision. I grew up in many parts of Canada and witnessed the beauty of this great country first-hand: the changing of the leaves in Gatineau Valley, the fog on Nova Scotia's Cabot Trail, an amazing display of the Northern Lights. And I have tried to experience so much of it – from enjoying fresh maple syrup at a sugaring-off party in Northern Quebec to taking a meditative paddle in Ontario's Algonquin Park (see photo below; 1991). Being a lover of the outdoors, and an oil painter, I'm always intrigued by what's around the corner, and captivated and surprised by the incredible beauty and pristine nature of our wilderness. But ultimately it is the people who define a country. I have travelled all over the world and worked in many countries, but I can honestly say there is nothing like this one, and the people who make it the strong and diverse place it is. Please join me in celebrating Canada's 150th. Shom Sen President & CEO Padminee Chundunsing

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