Canada ‘inspiration’ on migrant resettlement
Feat of taking in 25,000 Syrians in four months will be studied at Geneva meeting
As world leaders converge Wednesday on Geneva seeking inspiration to resolve the Syrian refugee crisis, all eyes will be on Canada’s feat of resettling 25,000 Syrians in just four months. Immigration Minister John McCallum, the man at the helm of the country’s most aggressive refugee resettlement project that involved Canadians from coast to coast, will be a key presenter at the United Nations conference attended by representatives of 80 countries,10 international organizations and 24 non-governmental agencies.
“People close to refugee issues follow Canada’s efforts closely. Among a certain type here your new prime minister is the new Obama, the progressive dreamboat. We wish we had a leader who saw welcoming refugees, not as a chore, but as something to be proud of,” said Tim Finch of the National Refugee Welcome Board in the United Kingdom.
“It is an inspiration to us. If Canada can do it, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t. Refugee advocates here look at Canada and think, ‘if only.’ ”
Although Ottawa had to extend its resettlement deadline from Dec. 31 to Feb. 29, it pulled off the feat by bringing in 26,000 refugees, including 9,000 who were sponsored by community and faith groups.
While there have been bumps and bruises along the way, with private sponsorship groups complaining about delays as government-assisted refugees crammed in hotels waiting for housing, the national project has been widely viewed as a success.
“The government inspired people rather than scared them. Canadian people were ready. It’s a success in terms of the political messaging, results and action. There’s no doubt about it,” said Mike Molloy, who worked in the foreign affairs and immigration department’s refugee branch for 35 years and now teaches at the University of Ottawa.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the host of Wednesday’s conference, the meeting aims to rally international support in resettling Syrian refugees to relieve the burden on Middle Eastern countries by exploring alternatives such as humanitarian transfers and medical evacuation, as well as private sponsorship, which is unique in Canada.
Brian Dyck, chair of the Council of the Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Agreement Holders Association, said there is an increasing international interest in Canada’s private sponsorship program — a controlled alternative that involves civilian participation and alleviates pressure on government resources.
Only time will tell if the Syrian newcomers will successfully integrate but Dyck said Ottawa’s resettlement project was a success just by processing and flying in that many refugees in such a short time frame.
“It went really well. There were no serious problems. There were government-assisted refugees staying in temporary accommodation for a long period of time that worried people and some cities had to put a brake on receiving new refugees,” said Dyck. “But nothing bad happened. Nobody arrived sitting at the airport and not being picked up. Communication was a struggle because you wouldn’t know who were on the plane until 24 or 48 hours before they arrived. But it’s a very difficult thing to do in a short time.”
Mario Calla, executive director of COSTI, the agency responsible for running the government-assisted refugee (GAR) program in Toronto, said COSTI ran into logistical challenges because immigration doubled the number of Syrians the city was receiving at the last minute.
“We were surprised by the size of the family of the GARs. Fifty-three per cent of GARs were families of five to eight people. We had to change our plan along the way,” said Calla.
“We acknowledge there were some rough spots in this whole settlement process in terms of the inadequacy and the outfitting of the households for our newcomers, but it’s out of our control.”
He said Ottawa could have done better in getting all stakeholders involved in its early planning “to avoid surprises” and internally COSTI could have better prepared in staffing and incorporating volunteers in the resettlement scheme. (COSTI doubled its refugee service staffing from 29 to 59 for the project.)
While the international community may be interested in the Canadian effort, Calla said the success could be hard to replicate because Canada has a controlled border, with the United States being its sole neighbour. Molloy agreed. “The magic comes in the way of how Canadians responded,” he said. “There is something about our population. Many of us have refugee and immigrant roots. When we see these things happening at such a dramatic scale, we can relate and there is a willingness to put the time to it,” he added.
“We shouldn’t congratulate ourselves. The real question is whether the number of Syrians we’ve taken in is significant enough to make a difference.”