Hundreds of ex-slaves coming to Canada
• Canada has begun resettling hundreds of people rescued from slavery in Libya, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen says.
Canada was one of the few countries to respond to a request from the United Nations refugee agency in 2017, Hussen told The Canadian Press in an email Wednesday.
More than 150 people have been resettled and another 600 more are expected over the next two years through the regular refugee settlement program, he said.
Canada is also planning to take in 100 refugees from Niger who were rescued from Libyan migrant detention centres, including victims of human smuggling, he added.
Libya is a major stopping point for asylum seekers from Africa who intend to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe. A video of what appeared to be smugglers selling imprisoned migrants near Tripoli became public in 2017, prompting world leaders to start talking about freeing migrants detained in Libyan camps.
Hussen revealed the resettlement plan on Monday night at an event in Ottawa to celebrate Black History Month.
He said Canada was asked by the UN to “rescue” people who have “endured unimaginable trauma.” He said Canada has responded to the call and provided safe haven.
The minister said Canada would eventually welcome “a lot” of Libyans.
The Mediterranean Sea crossing from North Africa to Europe’s southern has been a perilous one for migrants fleeing violence and instability.
Last month, the United Nations Migration Agency reported that 5,757 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea through the first 27 days of 2019, an increase over the 5,502 who arrived during the same period last year. The death toll dropped slightly, to 207 this year compared with 242 deaths in the same period of 2018.
The influx of migrants into Europe has sparked a backlash. Italy’s populist government does not allow ships to bring migrants to its shores, as part of an effort to force other European Union countries to share the burden of dealing with arrivals.
Last week, a coalition of international aid organizations from several European countries condemned the politicking in Europe around migrants.
“Since January 2018, at least 2,500 women, children and men have drowned in the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, EU leaders have allowed themselves to become complicit in the tragedy unfolding before their eyes,” their open letter said.
The Canadian initiative with the Libyans follows recent resettlements of about 1,000 Yazidi refugees from Iraq and 40,000 Syrians, threatened by Islamic State militants and Syrian forces.
“Canadians have always been welcoming to newcomers, and that generosity has helped offer protection to those fleeing persecution, terror and war,” Hussen said.