Big Dreams Can Come True

Learn about how Tareq Hadhad, Co-founder of Peace by Chocolate and a former Syrian refugee who was part of Operation Syrian Refugees, founded his own business and started a new life with his family in Canada.

Transcript: Big Dreams Can Come True

Video length: 1:44

Light music plays.

An image fades up of a small child with his family as he waves to the camera.

Text appears: Operation Syrian Refugees – Phase 5

The image fades to black and turns into a blurred background.

Text appears: Big Dreams Can Come True

Screen fades to black and music stops.

Transition to a man speaking to the camera, against a blurred background.

Text appears: Tareq Hadhad, Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Peace By Chocolate, Antigonish, NS Syrian refugee – OSR 2015

tareq hadhad: We have started our lives … we started our business not only … we are not only self-employed now, but we are offering jobs and hiring from our local community.

The image fades to a blurred background and a picture fades in of the “Peace by chocolate” website. The image then fades back to Tareq.

tareq hadhad: So, I really believe this is the second largest country in the world and there is an opportunity for everyone. And all of the cynicism and people questioning that people are coming here to take opportunities from other people … I would say that there is a place for everyone and there is an opportunity for everyone, so no one is taking opportunity from one another. Everyone is creating their own space and their own place, and this is really how this country was built in the first place.

The image fades to a blurred background and a picture of Tareq’s family fades up. We see the “Peace by Chocolate” warehouse in the background. The image then fades back to Tareq.

tareq hadhad: My siblings, my nephew and my niece and my parents, all of my siblings, they go out in the winter and they have fun. They do skiing, they played hockey, sledding and there is really so much … so much fun to be then.

The image fades to 2 kids building a snowman. The image then fades back to Tareq.

tareq hadhad: At the end of the day we … we are safe, and if you are safe and living in a safe environment you can plan for a future. We arrived in Canada with big dreams and now we are achieving them.

The screen fades to black.

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada corporate signature along with the copyright message “Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 2020.” are shown on screen followed by the “Canada” wordmark.