Perhaps those against accepting the Syrian refugees need to be reminded or, in some cases, told the truth of the beginnings of their existence in Canada.

A simple condensed historical truth is that Indigenous folk accepted European strangers - straight out - at first contact. Not the third, fourth or fifth contact - the first contact.

When the European explorers floated, half dead and starving onto Turtle Island’s shores, First Nations folk had to nurse the sailors back to health. A huge percentage of the sailors were dealing with scurvy. There wasn’t a feast where Indigenous folk came running out of the forests, to the ships overjoyed and yelling, ‘come dine with us, come sit in our homes, our daughters will serve you’, as some historians might suggest. No.

At first contact the louse ridden, sick and starving Europeans would’ve died if not for Indigenous folk ministrations of medicines. It certainly would've been easier to let nature take its course and let the strangers die. However, First Nations cared for the incapacitated strangers without a second thought; there were no cries of "there’s not enough!"