Caution key to Canada-Russian relationships, says local group
BELLEVILLE –Many Canadians may be on the edge of their seats as they wait to see how Canada’s relationship with Russia unfolds now that American President Donald Trump is in the White House.
But for one local Russian-Canadian, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau needs to be wary.
Antonina Durham moved to Belleville from Russia in 1999 and says she thinks Canada will follow in America’s footsteps,
“I don’t want to upset the Canadian Government but I have seen, only once I think, in Iraq or Afghanistan when Canada had independent politics. Usually, Canada is a follower. I’m almost positive the Canadian Government will have no choice because they are followers, usually to big countries, which is America,” she said.
According to Prime Minister Trudeau, Canada is cautiously re-engaging it’s relationship with Russia and Putin.
Durham says she is hopeful for a good relationship and believes re-uniting would be a better way to lead.
“It’s just a smart way to lead. People have different opinions, and it’s smart to negotiate how a system works, lets negotiate, let’s talk. Don’t mark another person as a black, no demonizing anybody.” She says.
Durham also expressed that Canadians should not judge too quick.
“It’s always difficult to judge politicians on how they work. Okay, man behaves like an idiot, but the people of his country choose him, so let him work, and look what he does. But not what he says, because it can be different. All this election is basically a show, to get us, voters. So, if he behaved like a monkey and monkey is more popular than other people, well let monkey show what it can do,” she said.
Durham said many of her customers are concerned with the relationship growing between countries.
“My customers, they always come to me and ask if I’ve heard anything. To be honest, it was disgusting. From my point of view, it’s not a reason to mark someone or country or province as black colours because no one is an angel. So, I freely express my opinion when people ask what I think about Putin… I say I don’t know because I’m not familiar with him, but I judge people by their results, especially leaders,” she said.
For the past 16 years, Durham has run the Heartbeat Thrift store, and volunteered with the Canadian-Russian Cultural Society, in Belleville.
“The Canadian-Russian cultural society it’s not about pure bread Russian’s telling Canadians how the Russians live. No, it’s basically a common basis of interest to our history and culture, it’s not a registered group or a registered society, the idea was just bridging different cultures” she said.
She started the CRCS in 2000, and says at first the program was to help people in the community like her.
“So, my first idea was to give some support to other Russian-speaking people who come here because nostalgia starts in everyone who is speaking in different languages and comes to a small town,” she said.
Eventually, she decided to use the CRCS to help educate other members of the community,
“English people were interested because of the lack of information from media when they talk to us they can get everything fresh, from our own experience, sometimes it was quite obvious that people don’t have an idea but are also negative towards history and facts that happened, and they have no idea about the existing life, like in 2015, 2010, 1990’s, it all just doesn’t exist. All the information you can find on a national basis is mostly in movies and news and usually it is the current criminal, mafia, prostitution…. Such a strange a strange mix and they did not give basically face of real people who I knew and know and who I love, and life in post-Soviet Union was never presented here,” she said.
According to Durham, the CRCS has helped people study the Russian language and has helped three families who came to the community to find schools and doctors.
In the Spring the Canadian-Russian Cultural Society will have to have an event to celebrate the welcoming of spring and saying goodbye to winter.
The CRCS welcomes everyone in the community to learn about the Russian culture, language, and history.
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