No. Canada can easily accommodate those seeking asylum
Alarmist and populist rhetoric about Canada being overwhelmed by a horde of refugees crossing the border is resurfacing these days.
Not only is this a dangerous narrative, but it is also an unfounded one.
Some 50,000 persons came to Canada last year to claim asylum. This is barely more than the number that had arrived in 2001. Did the country or the economy collapse at any point since then?
Movements of people are extremely difficult to predict, and one should caution those already speaking about a summer influx, as numbers have dropped off markedly in May and June. Many expressed fears that more and more people are not entering Canada through official border points. Actually, two thirds of those who came last year arrived with valid visas and through customs offices. Absolutely all are duly security cleared by the police and border authorities.
Even those who arrive through irregular means at Roxham Rd. in Quebec are all apprehended by the authorities. Indeed, those who come here to seek safety, whatever road they take, willingly hand themselves to the authorities as they want their refugee claims to be processed.
In line with international law — and more importantly, the values Canadians stand for — Canadian law provides that people who are fleeing wars and persecutions must be given the opportunity to tell their story and be recognized as refugees if they fear for their life back home. Like Bangladesh receiving 700,000 Rohingyas in a few weeks, Canada is only but upholding basic principles of law and humanity by processing persons who arrive on its territory in search of safety.
Refugee law recognizes that when one flees bombs or torture, one may not always take the most authorized routes to seek safety and get a visa before travelling. This is why, crossing a border at nonofficial points is not an illegal act. Words matter: those arriving in Quebec are not illegal — they are irregular crossers.
Many allege that these refugee claimants are all “bogus claims” as the bulk of arrivals is from Haiti and Nigeria. There is no war there, they argue. While bombs are not being dropped in these countries, some are still unable to enjoy their basic rights.
LGBTQ individuals may be persecuted for what is totally accepted in Canada: having a different sexual orientation than the majority. Little girls may be at risk of female genital mutilation or forced marriage while Canadian girls go to schools. Amongst the top countries before the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board are Yemen, Somalia and Palestine to name a few with a history of violence.
Ultimately the board will decide who is a refugee based on an individual assessment. Surprisingly for some, the overall acceptance rate has not changed since the increased arrivals from last summer.
Finally, let’s trust our institutions. Over the last year and a half, we have interviewed refugee claimants at the border and in shelters, Canadian police and border authorities as well as civil society organizations that have supported them.
All have done a great job in processing, in an efficient, humane and orderly manner, these new arrivals. And they continue to do so.
Contingency plans are in place — including for temporary shelters. In this respect, refugee claimants receive a temporary work permit within 30 days of their arrival, which allows them to become rapidly economically selfreliant — thus not being a burden on social services. The numbers are manageable for a rich and well-governed country like Canada.
This was proven in spades last summer, and I have no doubt that — whatever may be the numbers this summer — the country will not collapse, and continue to serve as an example to others.
For all these reasons, it is wrong and irresponsible to instill fears about refugees in Canada. Facts matter. Words matter. Today’s refugee crisis is not here — but in countries neighbouring conflicts in Africa or the Middle East. The least we can do when we see how these countries proudly and courageously welcomed hundreds of thousands of refugees is not to cry wolf here.