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Regeb Elawani

The  life  story  of  this  man  of  many  talents,  who  immigrated  to  Canada  in  1972,  was relayed  over  a  traditional  meal  of  fish,  fasolia  beans  and  kofta  kebabs  at  the  family home  in  Quebec  City.  Born  in  Janzur,  Lybia  in  1950,  Regeb  grew  up  in  a  family  of merchants. Attending school until the age of 17, he learned woodworking as a teenager in  a  workshop  owned  by  an  Italian  carpenter.  He  also  launched  his  own  woodworking company  at  that  age,  which  he  ran  until  emigrating  abroad.  Surrounded  by  British  and Italian  people,  he  was  quick  to  learn  both  languages.  On  September  1,  1969,  he witnessed the coup  d’état by General Gaddafi. The young entrepreneur remembers being  assaulted  by  soldiers  during  a  protest.  In  an  authoritarian  regime,  the  rules change. Wanting to live a free life and searching for new challenges, he obtained a visa to visit Canada. A Tunisian acquaintance lived in Quebec City, so Regeb set sail for the old capital. A few weeks after arriving he already had a job at the Napoli Restaurant. He did it all: dishwasher, host and finally manager. For over ten years, his professional life was  divided  between  the  restaurant  business  and  construction  work.  The  construction strike  of  1982  set  him  on  an  adventurous  course—he  worked  as  a  deckhand  on  the Great Lakes “lakers,” and then opened his own Mediterranean restaurant in Matane with his spouse Jacqueline. 
In 1984, curiosity and a desire to discover the country sent the couple off on a year-long road  trip  from  Saint-Jean  to  Newfoundland  and  Labrador  and  Victoria on  the  West Coast.  This  new  Canadian  experience  was  an  eye-opener  for  Regeb.  It  helped crystallize his view of our society’s values. For people from various countries seeking democracy  and  political  and  economic  stability,  Canada  is  an  oasis.  Its  multicultural population, quality of life, culture of peaceful relationships and respect of individual and religious  freedoms  is  its  greatest  strength,  he  explains.  While  Regeb  realizes  that separatist  and  federalist  allegiances  in  the  pre-referendum  years  of  1980 and  1995 were a source of conflict for families, the Quebec people are nevertheless peaceful and respectful  of  others.  However,  he  must  point  out  there  was  stigmatization  of  certain Arab  groups  fed  by  the  events  of  September  11  in  the  United  States.  This  father,  who invested so much of himself in the academic and social development of his three boys, believes that Quebecers show an openness to the rest of the world and have a desire to cultivate a spirit of co-existence. He fondly remembers his experience organizing ethnic meals for Mont St-Sacrament high school, and that he was once the city’s only Muslim Santa  Claus!  Today,  he  proudly  follows  the  careers  of  his  sons,  Ralph,  a  journalist, Jeffrey, a graduate student and blogger and Kevin, a sommelier. 
  • Last modified
    2019-07-05

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