if I ask you now who would be happy when
they eat chocolate please raise your
hand the second question is tossing them
who would be emotionally neutral when he
is chocolate please raise your hand well
it looks like you all have sweet tooth
that was exactly the idea that my father
was passionate about in 1986 when he
started his small chocolate business he
went to a celebration and he saw that
people they were really happy with each
piece of chocolate chocolate was the
symbol of the celebration at that time
that was he was really excited to start
his own ideas and translate his own
skills of making chocolate and make
people happy in his mother’s kitchen
started by making few pieces of
chocolate then my grandmother told him
that this is not a factory move outside
he started his own shop in Damascus and
it took him a while he then got married
to my mother then I was born well I’m
telling you now all the student mothers
99% of the senior mothers they want
their children to be doctors and one
person the other 1% wants them to be
engineers the other the other
professions are not considered in the
minds of the Syrian mothers so when I
was born my but my father and my mother
they were just asking what should we
name him my mother said doctor my father
said we should name him he said Tarek
she said yes Tarek doctor I was really
passionate since I was born to be a
physician that was the really humanity
profession on earth and I was always
trying to connect between my father’s
version between my family identity of
making people happy in Syria and my
profession as treating people from their
pains continued in Syria our social life
was amazingly
being in one building with my
grandmother in Damascus the city that
goes back on 5,000 years old it’s so sad
now when we hear when you open Google
and you type Syria and the first thing
you see is Syrian walls here in crisis
Syrian blood Syrian victims but Syria is
not about that Syria is the country when
you go out in the old Damascus in the
old city
and you smell the death Jasmine Syria’s
the city is the country where the cities
have impacts and achievements in the
entire humanity history the most old
cultural region in the Middle East and
maybe the entire world this social life
when we were living all my relatives
having the suburb every night sharing
stories and experiences happiness all
said the sadness every struggles or
challenges that the family could solve
by together by unity as a community the
small unit after the Syrian crisis
started while my father started
exporting to the neighboring countries
to Iraq Jordan Lebanon Turkey and
started to Europe hiring more than
hundreds of students in distribution
networks around the country more than 35
employees in the in the factory in
Damascus when the crisis started in our
building we stayed five nights in the
basement without food without water
without medicines and then we had to
leave to a safer place I was then doing
medicine in my fifth year in Damascus
and I was coming back one night from my
one day from my university I saw my
brother he was washing the car I joined
him and they rocketed near us I couldn’t
see anything then I was just asking my
brother are you find these move your
hand just show me that you are alive
that was so painful for me to stay in
Syria after that day and I told my
family it’s not time to do medicine for
me it’s time to survive for the entire
family
after that we hear that the factory was
bombed
our original home was been stolen and
then burned by a plane I have no idea
what we have done for these people to do
these horrible things for us we were all
living in one country we are all
brothers we are all Syrians that’s the
painful thing we had to leave Syria and
that was the hardest decision we have
ever taken worse than even these borders
we became refugees and we stopped the
car we said we where shall we go now
there are no place that we can go to we
went to the United Nations the other day
in Lebanon and they called me tarik
Haddad number zero zero one three four
eight I went to the I said I’m not a
number I’m a human being before just one
week when I was until I had dreams I was
going to become physician my father had
big chocolate company which was the
second largest chocolate company in the
Middle East that was really horrible
things when I went to a refugee camp to
join the Syrian children there one night
and I hear them they were screaming from
the cold how you can imagine that the
code would be painful to the degree that
the children will start screaming of it
without food without medicines in the
refugee camps they couldn’t go out they
couldn’t work moving to Lebanon which is
the small country in the Middle East
that received two million students that
was too much to Lebanon to handle then
when is the relation is four millions
they receive two million Syrians that
was really too much and they had their
own problems they don’t have the
infrastructure to receive this huge
number I said to myself I’m not going to
stay in refugee camp I have an ability
to help I joined the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees and I started
volunteering with them with the World
Health Organization taking advantage of
my experience in the healthcare field
etc then we joined like a local team
started getting fundraising to help the
syrian get into the hospitals in Lebanon
then I thought about the idea of
traveling to continue my medical studies
I remembered when my friend when I was
in Syria he called me he got invitation
to come to Canada and he called me he
said I arrived to Canada and well
everybody speaks English
well actually I saw that the person who
received me is from the Middle East the
other person received me at the hotel is
from Africa I saw some Korean and some
people from Far East Asia some people
their accents are from United Kingdom
and from Holland some polish people he
said but I couldn’t see any Canadians I
I told him that was in 2005 I told him
there should be some Canadians there
after that it took me a while I realized
that this is Canada the nation that
received immigrants from all over the
world to be one nation to be one country
to celebrate their differences to
celebrate their differences and where
everybody is welcome to bring his own
culture when I was in Lebanon went to
the Canadian embassy and I the first
thing that I was shown is the Canadian
Charter of human rights and freedom then
we decided to come to Canada went back
home I got the scholarship then they
called me they said we are sorry you are
your age is 23 and the age limit for the
scholarship is 22 that was frustrating
after one month they called me again
they said you are invited with your
family to travel to Canada went back
home and I taught the family that well
we are accepted to go to Canada they
said Canada is too cold
we waited six months till we did the
interview with the embassy then we
traveled arriving at the Canadian
airports I arrived before my family then
my family followed me after two weeks
arriving at the Canadian Air which means
that you as a Syrian a newcomer we
become Canadian since the first time you
are on the airplane
the Canadians has done this thing
amazingly where the other countries are
closing their borders they shipped us
here with Royal slides on the airplanes
they were telling us about Canada this
amazing country where everybody can
succeed because they will offer them
about cities to succeed we didn’t know
where we will come in Canada I arrived
in Toronto they asked me where are you
where are you going I said I have no
idea where is my destination they said
you travel effects I said what’s Halifax
they said when I arrived in Halifax they
said you will not stay in Halifax to
travel to Antigonish and I googled
Antigonish I even couldn’t find it on
Google open the map if you can see the
map now if you can call this map nowhere
and Turkish is the middle of nowhere
my family arrived with me after that 20
Ganesh when we receive them at the
airport they started their life they
started get used to double double
Canadian hockey teams
well actually I lost all my Canadian
friends after first week because maybe
my I was a fan of unpopular team we
continued them the family found
everything ready people in an ticklish
they worked for around a year to prepare
everything for the entire family so when
they arrive they find the house they
found the schools they find the
education system for everybody the
health care was ready the employment
committees they were all well organized
to receive the Syrians because they
really knew that the Syrians they lost
their country they didn’t choose to come
to Canada they were forced to leave
their countries and they were looking
for a place that can carry them that can
embrace them none of the immigrants
would be happy to leave his homeland
we were really forced to leave our
homeland Syria but we were really proud
and honored to be on the Canadian soil
now after people in Antigonish they
worked really hard to help us after the
first month in Canada the culture shock
started as usual for any newcomer I went
to the family and I told them that this
is time for us to start giving back to
the community they worked really hard
they didn’t care about our religion
about our background
about our culture it didn’t care about
any of these things so we should really
start to think how we can give back to
these people
my father said okay you can go back to
medicine but it will take you time here
I started actually the process to become
physician in Canada but then I told my
family that we can start our own
business my father started making few
pieces of chocolate went to the farmers
market everything was done in a few
minutes that was the very encouraging
start for him then he continued making
chocolate to a bigger occasions we
realized that we are here for a message
and for entrepreneurship I have a
concept for it the first is being unique
and equal being different than the
others being remarkable the second thing
is you should go out you should speak
out about your ideas so if you have the
most brilliant ideas on earth if you
don’t go out and tell others nobody will
come to you and knock on your door and
ask you what are you thinking thinking
sir that’s very major concept we worked
on it then we said that we should name
our business it was straightforward
after two weeks of fighting inside the
family with a piece by charted piece is
the most noble value in the entire human
beings that they should fight for
without without which you cannot go to
your university you cannot work you
cannot build yourself and why is our
bridge to the Canadian Society and
chocolate is the magic product of
happiness continued by then our
chocolate company was really expanding
very fast we were honored to donate to
the Canadian Red Cross to help in relief
efforts in Fort McMurray after three
months we were sitting on a supper table
I received a call my friend told me that
the Prime Minister is talking about you
in the United Nations summit in New York
I said I really mean like I couldn’t
believe that it was really huge honor to
be inspiring the entire humanity all
over the globe the thing that started in
small place in Antigonish
inspired lots of people because it was
real because 50 people in Antigonish
they helped us to be in our factory
plumbers electricians business
counselors everybody could ever help
even the marketers after that I received
a call after one month from the prime
minister’s office
they said the Prime Minister really
wants to meet you that was really huge
honor and the success of the business
was really growing very fast having all
of these successes encouraged us to do
more and more and open this it’s not
chocolate business as you all think it’s
all about a message from the new comers
to their new community by the end of
2016 we were one of the top 15 chocolate
company in the country we will be always
honored to be in a country that welcomed
us we will be always proud to the
country that has given us such a limited
joy and happiness piece by chocolate
today has three messages to you the
first best method to face anxiety and
fear is offering embracing and welcoming
community the second message kindness
begets kindness and fear we get fears
and anxiety the third one and the most
important when ever in your life you
will face challenges but now you have
two options you will not have a third
one the first option is to sit down and
complain and I say I can do anything I
can do that and the second option is to
dig down and find solution and be
creative and the second one works way
more better
trust me thank you so much
[Applause]
they eat chocolate please raise your
hand the second question is tossing them
who would be emotionally neutral when he
is chocolate please raise your hand well
it looks like you all have sweet tooth
that was exactly the idea that my father
was passionate about in 1986 when he
started his small chocolate business he
went to a celebration and he saw that
people they were really happy with each
piece of chocolate chocolate was the
symbol of the celebration at that time
that was he was really excited to start
his own ideas and translate his own
skills of making chocolate and make
people happy in his mother’s kitchen
started by making few pieces of
chocolate then my grandmother told him
that this is not a factory move outside
he started his own shop in Damascus and
it took him a while he then got married
to my mother then I was born well I’m
telling you now all the student mothers
99% of the senior mothers they want
their children to be doctors and one
person the other 1% wants them to be
engineers the other the other
professions are not considered in the
minds of the Syrian mothers so when I
was born my but my father and my mother
they were just asking what should we
name him my mother said doctor my father
said we should name him he said Tarek
she said yes Tarek doctor I was really
passionate since I was born to be a
physician that was the really humanity
profession on earth and I was always
trying to connect between my father’s
version between my family identity of
making people happy in Syria and my
profession as treating people from their
pains continued in Syria our social life
was amazingly
being in one building with my
grandmother in Damascus the city that
goes back on 5,000 years old it’s so sad
now when we hear when you open Google
and you type Syria and the first thing
you see is Syrian walls here in crisis
Syrian blood Syrian victims but Syria is
not about that Syria is the country when
you go out in the old Damascus in the
old city
and you smell the death Jasmine Syria’s
the city is the country where the cities
have impacts and achievements in the
entire humanity history the most old
cultural region in the Middle East and
maybe the entire world this social life
when we were living all my relatives
having the suburb every night sharing
stories and experiences happiness all
said the sadness every struggles or
challenges that the family could solve
by together by unity as a community the
small unit after the Syrian crisis
started while my father started
exporting to the neighboring countries
to Iraq Jordan Lebanon Turkey and
started to Europe hiring more than
hundreds of students in distribution
networks around the country more than 35
employees in the in the factory in
Damascus when the crisis started in our
building we stayed five nights in the
basement without food without water
without medicines and then we had to
leave to a safer place I was then doing
medicine in my fifth year in Damascus
and I was coming back one night from my
one day from my university I saw my
brother he was washing the car I joined
him and they rocketed near us I couldn’t
see anything then I was just asking my
brother are you find these move your
hand just show me that you are alive
that was so painful for me to stay in
Syria after that day and I told my
family it’s not time to do medicine for
me it’s time to survive for the entire
family
after that we hear that the factory was
bombed
our original home was been stolen and
then burned by a plane I have no idea
what we have done for these people to do
these horrible things for us we were all
living in one country we are all
brothers we are all Syrians that’s the
painful thing we had to leave Syria and
that was the hardest decision we have
ever taken worse than even these borders
we became refugees and we stopped the
car we said we where shall we go now
there are no place that we can go to we
went to the United Nations the other day
in Lebanon and they called me tarik
Haddad number zero zero one three four
eight I went to the I said I’m not a
number I’m a human being before just one
week when I was until I had dreams I was
going to become physician my father had
big chocolate company which was the
second largest chocolate company in the
Middle East that was really horrible
things when I went to a refugee camp to
join the Syrian children there one night
and I hear them they were screaming from
the cold how you can imagine that the
code would be painful to the degree that
the children will start screaming of it
without food without medicines in the
refugee camps they couldn’t go out they
couldn’t work moving to Lebanon which is
the small country in the Middle East
that received two million students that
was too much to Lebanon to handle then
when is the relation is four millions
they receive two million Syrians that
was really too much and they had their
own problems they don’t have the
infrastructure to receive this huge
number I said to myself I’m not going to
stay in refugee camp I have an ability
to help I joined the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees and I started
volunteering with them with the World
Health Organization taking advantage of
my experience in the healthcare field
etc then we joined like a local team
started getting fundraising to help the
syrian get into the hospitals in Lebanon
then I thought about the idea of
traveling to continue my medical studies
I remembered when my friend when I was
in Syria he called me he got invitation
to come to Canada and he called me he
said I arrived to Canada and well
everybody speaks English
well actually I saw that the person who
received me is from the Middle East the
other person received me at the hotel is
from Africa I saw some Korean and some
people from Far East Asia some people
their accents are from United Kingdom
and from Holland some polish people he
said but I couldn’t see any Canadians I
I told him that was in 2005 I told him
there should be some Canadians there
after that it took me a while I realized
that this is Canada the nation that
received immigrants from all over the
world to be one nation to be one country
to celebrate their differences to
celebrate their differences and where
everybody is welcome to bring his own
culture when I was in Lebanon went to
the Canadian embassy and I the first
thing that I was shown is the Canadian
Charter of human rights and freedom then
we decided to come to Canada went back
home I got the scholarship then they
called me they said we are sorry you are
your age is 23 and the age limit for the
scholarship is 22 that was frustrating
after one month they called me again
they said you are invited with your
family to travel to Canada went back
home and I taught the family that well
we are accepted to go to Canada they
said Canada is too cold
we waited six months till we did the
interview with the embassy then we
traveled arriving at the Canadian
airports I arrived before my family then
my family followed me after two weeks
arriving at the Canadian Air which means
that you as a Syrian a newcomer we
become Canadian since the first time you
are on the airplane
the Canadians has done this thing
amazingly where the other countries are
closing their borders they shipped us
here with Royal slides on the airplanes
they were telling us about Canada this
amazing country where everybody can
succeed because they will offer them
about cities to succeed we didn’t know
where we will come in Canada I arrived
in Toronto they asked me where are you
where are you going I said I have no
idea where is my destination they said
you travel effects I said what’s Halifax
they said when I arrived in Halifax they
said you will not stay in Halifax to
travel to Antigonish and I googled
Antigonish I even couldn’t find it on
Google open the map if you can see the
map now if you can call this map nowhere
and Turkish is the middle of nowhere
my family arrived with me after that 20
Ganesh when we receive them at the
airport they started their life they
started get used to double double
Canadian hockey teams
well actually I lost all my Canadian
friends after first week because maybe
my I was a fan of unpopular team we
continued them the family found
everything ready people in an ticklish
they worked for around a year to prepare
everything for the entire family so when
they arrive they find the house they
found the schools they find the
education system for everybody the
health care was ready the employment
committees they were all well organized
to receive the Syrians because they
really knew that the Syrians they lost
their country they didn’t choose to come
to Canada they were forced to leave
their countries and they were looking
for a place that can carry them that can
embrace them none of the immigrants
would be happy to leave his homeland
we were really forced to leave our
homeland Syria but we were really proud
and honored to be on the Canadian soil
now after people in Antigonish they
worked really hard to help us after the
first month in Canada the culture shock
started as usual for any newcomer I went
to the family and I told them that this
is time for us to start giving back to
the community they worked really hard
they didn’t care about our religion
about our background
about our culture it didn’t care about
any of these things so we should really
start to think how we can give back to
these people
my father said okay you can go back to
medicine but it will take you time here
I started actually the process to become
physician in Canada but then I told my
family that we can start our own
business my father started making few
pieces of chocolate went to the farmers
market everything was done in a few
minutes that was the very encouraging
start for him then he continued making
chocolate to a bigger occasions we
realized that we are here for a message
and for entrepreneurship I have a
concept for it the first is being unique
and equal being different than the
others being remarkable the second thing
is you should go out you should speak
out about your ideas so if you have the
most brilliant ideas on earth if you
don’t go out and tell others nobody will
come to you and knock on your door and
ask you what are you thinking thinking
sir that’s very major concept we worked
on it then we said that we should name
our business it was straightforward
after two weeks of fighting inside the
family with a piece by charted piece is
the most noble value in the entire human
beings that they should fight for
without without which you cannot go to
your university you cannot work you
cannot build yourself and why is our
bridge to the Canadian Society and
chocolate is the magic product of
happiness continued by then our
chocolate company was really expanding
very fast we were honored to donate to
the Canadian Red Cross to help in relief
efforts in Fort McMurray after three
months we were sitting on a supper table
I received a call my friend told me that
the Prime Minister is talking about you
in the United Nations summit in New York
I said I really mean like I couldn’t
believe that it was really huge honor to
be inspiring the entire humanity all
over the globe the thing that started in
small place in Antigonish
inspired lots of people because it was
real because 50 people in Antigonish
they helped us to be in our factory
plumbers electricians business
counselors everybody could ever help
even the marketers after that I received
a call after one month from the prime
minister’s office
they said the Prime Minister really
wants to meet you that was really huge
honor and the success of the business
was really growing very fast having all
of these successes encouraged us to do
more and more and open this it’s not
chocolate business as you all think it’s
all about a message from the new comers
to their new community by the end of
2016 we were one of the top 15 chocolate
company in the country we will be always
honored to be in a country that welcomed
us we will be always proud to the
country that has given us such a limited
joy and happiness piece by chocolate
today has three messages to you the
first best method to face anxiety and
fear is offering embracing and welcoming
community the second message kindness
begets kindness and fear we get fears
and anxiety the third one and the most
important when ever in your life you
will face challenges but now you have
two options you will not have a third
one the first option is to sit down and
complain and I say I can do anything I
can do that and the second option is to
dig down and find solution and be
creative and the second one works way
more better
trust me thank you so much
[Applause]
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