Sponsors willing, but refugees unable
Re ‘Where are our Syrian refugees?’ March 25 For the past six months, thousands of Canadians have opened their hearts, wallets and homes with plans to welcome Syrian refugees. We wanted to show what we can do as individual Canadians to make the world a better place. But 1,000 groups that have the funds and the teams ready to devote their time and personal efforts are now being told to wait until next year.
Yes, we are delighted that the government took on the responsibility to bring in 25,000 fully funded refugees. But their resources were stretched to accommodate these refugees, with many spending weeks feeling abandoned in hotels.
Now the government plans to bring in another 10,000 refugees. But 5,000 could easily be assigned now to groups that are ready and waiting. We have the resources, the people and the funds.
Those refugees who have come in the past under the private route have fared far better than the government ones, who have sometimes felt neglected.
Canadians showed what we can do privately when thousands of people were fleeing Vietnam in 1979-80. These refugees were housed in private homes with no government funding. These refugees have made us proud.
We can do this again but we need the government to open up the stream until every group that has applied to sponsor through the Sponsorship Agreement Holders has received a family, and soon.
Make us proud to be Canadians again because, right now, I am not a happy Canadian. Maureen Bird, The Rotary Club of Toronto Sponsorship Group
Why are the Liberals backing down on the commitment to expedite processing of privately sponsored Syrian refugees? Our small Toronto group has the funds ready to bring over and support a family of five that has been stuck in Jordan for a year and are struggling to survive.
The father suffers serious back pain due to injuries sustained while in Syrian jail and the family, which includes three school-aged children, is facing great uncertainty while waiting to be processed so they can join family members already in the GTA. We don’t want them waiting for another year.
The government should respond to Canadians’ desire to help by continuing to exclude Syrians from the annual cap on private sponsorships and by speeding up rather than slowing down the processing for all privately sponsored refugees to Canada. Otherwise, it will squander the considerable good will and resources represented by hundreds of sponsorship groups across Canada that are ready, willing and able to welcome families that have been identified. Linda Hershkovitz, Toronto