From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Syrians/Habeeb Salloum
Political involvement was minimal for early Syrian immigrants. When they began to become aware of Canadian politics, most supported the Liberal Party. Their children, in contrast, became interested in all facets of political life, and, although most supported Conservatives or Liberals, a good number favoured the left.
Muhammad Said Massoud had in 1943 formed the Canadian Arab Friendship League in Montreal, with the intention of educating the Canadian public about the Arab side of the Palestine-Israel conflict. In the post1945 era, many immigrants had strong views about both Arab and Canadian politics and joined organizations such as the Canadian Arab Federation and the Toronto-based Canadian Arab Friendship Society and supported or joined Canadian parties.
Until the post-war influx arrived, Syrian immigrants in general had an inferiority complex. The early immigrants kept away from other ethnic groups, especially non-Europeans. If they related to anyone outside their own community, it was to the English or French – an identification that later affected their offspring. In some cases, if children were light brown or blond, they would claim western European ancestry. The Syrians long fought to be classified as Europeans. It was only in the mid-1930s that they realized this goal, allowing relatives to sponsor their kin.
Those who emigrated from the 1960s on were proud of their Arab heritage. Even Christians identified much less with the West, which they saw as always supporting their enemies. Negative portrayals of Arabs in schoolbooks and in the media drove many Syrians to join Arab organizations and other associations that tried to rectify this bias.
The post-1960s newcomers had a great influence on the Canadian-born Syrians. Mostly secular, many joined Canadian political parties. Most of the women were educated and helped their husbands when they opened businesses or worked in offices; having been educated almost entirely in Arabic, a number joined Arab organizations. Proud of their traditions, they encouraged their offspring to feel that they were as good as anyone else.
