Valerie Boser has been a volunteer with ISSofBC for over 10 years and has met hundreds of newcomers from all over the world. Many of them have stories of incredible hardship, yet they are brave, resilient, hardworking, and eager to embrace Canadian values. “When they get their citizenship, they are some of the proudest Canadians I’ve ever met,” Valerie reflects.
As with many Canadians, new and old, Valerie’s family has their own immigration story. As you can read below, both sides of her family came to Canada in the 1920s, and this personal connection is a significant reason why she continues to support the new wave of newcomers arriving in British Columbia today.
Both sets of my grandparents – Joe and Aggie and Carl and Agatha – emigrated from Germany after the First World War. They were from poor farming families and came by steamship, drawn by the promise of free land in Saskatchewan. Joe and Aggie made a go of it, and it became a thriving family farm, with all 16 (!) of their children pitching in to work the land.
Carl and Agatha’s land wasn’t so fertile, being mostly bush and rocks. They found it incredibly hard going, and after 10 years, they walked away from their homestead to take up dairy farming in southern Ontario, where they raised six daughters. They all arrived without English but learned to speak it to varying degrees. As a child, I thought they were wonderfully interesting with their German accents, customs, and food (homemade sausage, button soup, and spätzle). Today, on reflection, I admire their bravery and willingness to venture into the unknown with little more than love, optimism, and hope.
Immigration built Canada. We’re all immigrants except for the First Nations people. Every wave of immigration brings and continues to bring new skills, cultures, and viewpoints that add to the rich fabric that is Canada today. It is so wonderful to live in a country where your friends, neighbours, co-workers, and classmates are from all over the world. And we all come together building the Canada we want to live in – a place of peace, diversity, human rights, and opportunity for ourselves and our children.
I’m a second-generation Canadian, but I can relate to those who have just arrived because, at some point, all our families have been through a similar experience. Talk to your parents or grandparents about what it was like being a newcomer. What acts of kindness did they experience in their communities? How did that make them feel welcome and at home? Today’s newcomers are just the same. I’m grateful to them for what they bring to this country.
“Immigration built Canada. We’re all immigrants except for the First Nations people.”
– valerie boser, issOFbc VOLUNTEER
What can you do?
For Valerie, supporting newcomers can be simple: “Talk to them. Get to know them. You’ll find that we’re all the same with the same goal of a better life and a place to call home.”
Beyond this, if you’d like to contribute to welcoming newcomers to British Columbia, you can do one of the following:
- Donate: Please support our cause to make Canada stronger for everyone. We’re trying to raise $25,000 to support our advocacy and outreach work in 2026. The time has never been more critical.
- Learn more: about how ISSofBC supports refugees and diverse newcomers across BC, the latest government plans for immigration, and our call for a positive vision for Canada’s immigration future.
- Make your voice heard: call or message your local MP. Tell them you expect our leaders to restate the case for immigration to Canadian people.
