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Prime Minister marks start of Thanksgiving holiday by meeting Afghan refugee family

Oct 9, 2021 | 12:22 PM

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marked the beginning of the Thanksgiving holiday by meeting a family of Afghan refugees who recently arrived in the country. 

Obaidullah Rahimi began working at the Canadian Embassy in Kabul in 2008, and was hired full-time last year. 

Rahimi arrived in Canada with his wife, three-year-old daughter, and a new baby who is now a month-and-a-half old. 

He told Trudeau he loved working at the Canadian Embassy, thought Canadians were very friendly and added that he is happy to be in the country. 

Volunteers prepared gift baskets to give to the resettled families and the prime minister helped wrap one of them.  

More than 1,000 refugees have arrived from Afghanistan and Canada has committed to resettling 20,000 people from the country. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2021.

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

The Canadian Press