New Canadian gets ready to welcome 7 refugees from Syria

A man living in Saskatchewan is getting ready to welcome seven relatives he hardly knows who are refugees fleeing Syria.

In the same week, Carlo Arslanian is also proud that he will become a Canadian citizen.

The gravity of the situation facing his relatives struck him one day, while he was Skyping with them, and he thought he heard thunder in the background.

"I was talking to one of my family members on Skype and I heard something in the background. They said, 'Oh, that's bombing."

Arslanian left Syria when he was six months old. He grew up in Australia. He's been living in Canada for 15 years, but keeping in contact with family in Syria. 

Now, his cousin, her husband, and their five children are set to arrive in Saskatchewan on Thursday to live with Arslanian. They fled to Lebanon after they came home one day from work to discover the complex they were living in was destroyed by bombing.

Arslanian lives in a big house with plenty of room for the 6-year-old twin boys, the two teenage daughters, and the eldest son. 

"I'm doing this for the kids," he said. "They'll thrive here."

The wonder of it all is that he hardly knows his cousin. He met her once when he was thirteen, visiting Syria. But he said, he knew he needed to help in any way he could.

"Seven people are not going to have to risk their lives to get in a small boat to get across the ocean."

"We're all human. I believe that all of us have a part to play in humanity. We all have genuine hearts."

Arslanian says he is looking forward to becoming a Canadian citizen on Monday. He says it's such a great country, and he'll be so proud to say he's Canadian.

He believes the kids and their parents will do well in their new country.

"I'm just glad they'll be free of tyranny."