Overview

Between 1975 and 1997 some three million Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians fled atrocities in their home countries, with over 210,000 resettling in Canada. While this history is partly known to some Canadians, little has been written about it, especially from the perspectives of the refugees themselves. Hearts of Freedom is a rich oral history based on interviews with 145 former refugees, sharing deeply moving accounts of oppression, concentration camps, genocide, and perilous escapes over land and sea. Survivors reflect on their first impressions of Canada – the unfamiliar snow and cold, the unexpected kindness of neighbours, and occasional encounters with racism. Through their experiences, we come to understand the strengths and weaknesses of Canada's refugee programs. These stories reveal how refugees' attachment to Canada grew over the years and how multiculturalism policies facilitated that. Ordinary Canadians played a decisive role in the first mass refugee movement through newly created private sponsorship programs – a role for which the United Nations awarded the Nansen Medal to the Canadian people in 1986. Coming at a time when we are assessing the benefits of immigration and refugee policies and programs, Hearts of Freedom documents the lives and contributions of people who have suffered the worst excesses of war to rebuild their lives in Canada.

Full Product Details

Author:   Peter Duschinsky ,  Colleen Lundy ,  Michael Molloy ,  Allan Moscovitch
Publisher:   McGill-Queen's University Press
Imprint:   McGill-Queen's University Press
ISBN:  

9780228025528

ISBN 10:   0228025524
Pages:   372
Publication Date:   31 December 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   In Print  
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.

Table of Contents

Foreword • ix The Rt Hon. Joe Clark Preface and Methodology • xiii Acknowledgments • xix The Hearts of Freedom Project • xxiii Maps follow page • xxix Introduction • 3 Timeline • 15 Part One Southeast Asia: Wars, Oppression, and Refugees 1 The Southeast Asian Refugee Movement: Its Root Causes and History • 23 Part Two Vietnamese War Refugees 2 Escaping Vietnam: The War Refugees of 1975 • 39 3 The Vietnamese War Refugees’ Lives in Canada • 50 4 The War Refugees: Three Stories • 59 Part Three Vietnamese Boat People 5 The Boat People: Escape from Vietnam • 79 6 Boat People Escapes: Four Stories • 99 7 Resettling the Boat People in Canada • 111 8 Boat People’s Lives in Canada: Seven Stories • 130 Part Four Cambodian Refugees 9 Surviving War and Genocide, Escaping from Cambodia • 169 10 Cambodian Resettlement in Canada: Perseverance, Courage, and Hope • 193 11 Against the Odds: Three Cambodian Refugee Stories of Survival • 202 Part Five Laotian Refugees 12 Laos: The Secret War, Escape, and Refugee Camps • 219 13 Resettlement of Laotian Refugees in Canada: Struggles and Successes • 236 14 Constantly Adapting: Stories of Three Laotian Refugees • 248 Conclusions and Reflections • 267 Appendices 1 Statistical Analysis of the Refugee Movement from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos to Canada, 1975–97 • 285 2 Statistical Analysis of the Hearts of Freedom Project Interviews • 296 3 Canadian Government and Civil Society Interviews • 299 4 Hearts of Freedom Project Management and Teams • 304 References • 309 Contributors • 321 Index • 325

Reviews

""Hearts of Freedom offers a refreshing update on the lives and experiences of Southeast Asian refugees in Canada – political repression, traumatic experiences of escape, culture shocks associated with arrival – that will help familiarize the next generation with their remarkable stories."" Victor Satzewich, author of Points of Entry: How Canada's Immigration Officers Decide Who Gets In ""The Hearts of Freedom project is a huge accomplishment."" Marlene Epp, author of Eating Like a Mennonite: Food and Community across Borders

“Hearts of Freedom offers a refreshing update on the lives and experiences of Southeast Asian refugees in Canada – political repression, traumatic experiences of escape, culture shocks associated with arrival – that will help familiarize the next generation with their remarkable stories.” Victor Satzewich, author of Points of Entry: How Canada’s Immigration Officers Decide Who Gets In “The Hearts of Freedom project is a huge accomplishment.” Marlene Epp, author of Eating Like a Mennonite: Food and Community across Borders

“Hearts of Freedom recounts the heroic stories of the boat people in heart-wrenching, unimaginable situations as they searched for freedom. Their testimonies – filled with unreal courage, sacrifice, and tenacity – will never leave you.” – Hieu C. Truong, OC “This book offers a poignant collection of living memories – vital testimonies from survivors of one of Southeast Asia’s darkest chapters. This is a powerful act of remembrance and a step toward healing.” – Phloeun Prim, executive director, Cambodian Living Arts “I rarely have the chance to learn about the journey, experiences, and challenges faced by my parents’ generation. Hearts of Freedom provides new perspectives on childhood memories, answering many inner questions. It is an immensely valuable resource.” – Som Phouangpraseuth, former president, Lao Association of Ottawa Valley “Hearts of Freedom offers a refreshing update on the lives and experiences of Southeast Asian refugees in Canada – political repression, traumatic experiences of escape, culture shocks associated with arrival – that will help familiarize the next generation with their remarkable stories.” – Victor Satzewich, author of Points of Entry: How Canada’s Immigration Officers Decide Who Gets In “The Hearts of Freedom project is a huge accomplishment.” – Marlene Epp, author of Eating Like a Mennonite: Food and Community across Borders

Author Information

Peter Duschinsky (Author) Peter Duschinsky is Immigration Canada's former director of international liaison and the co-author of Running on Empty: Canada and the Indochinese Refugees, 1975–1980. Colleen Lundy (Author) Colleen Lundy is professor emeritus of social work at Carleton University. Michael J. Molloy (Author) Michael J. Molloy coordinated the resettlement of sixty thousand Indochinese refugees in 1979–80 and is the co-author of Running on Empty: Canada and the Indochinese Refugees, 1975–1980. He lives in Ottawa. Allan Moscovitch (Author) Allan Moscovitch is professor emeritus at Carleton University.

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