Ottawa aims to ease Syrians’ integration
Up to $250,000 set aside to help reduce barriers
OTTAWA— With more than 30,000 Syrian refugees facing serious barriers to employment and integration in Canada, the federal government is searching for fresh ideas to help newcomers join their communities and the labour force.
Documents posted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Thursday show the department is planning to spend as much as $250,000 for new studies on how best to integrate Syrian refugees into their new community.
“It is well documented that newcomers face a number of barriers in finding employment that is commensurate with their skills and experience. Refugees, in particular, may have more difficulty integrating into the Canadian labour market when compared to other categories of immigrants,” the documents read.
“Refugees face many employment barriers such as lack of Canadian or other relevant work experience, lack of professional networks, and unfamiliarity with Canadian workplace culture.”
Canada had accepted 30,000 Syrian refugees by the end of July, with more expected to arrive by the end of the year. While the Liberal govern- ment received praise for rapidly bringing in more refugees, there is growing concern that providing services and support for newcomers will be as big a logistical challenge.
Over the summer, the Senate’s committee on human rights warned of urgent needs facing newcomers — for language training, for mental health support after fleeing a war zone and the financial burdens refugees face upon arrival in their new country.
“Canadians are justly proud that more than 28,000 Syrian refugees have arrived here to date,” wrote senators Jim Munson and Salma Ataullahjan in July. “While our committee shares in this pride we also note the challenge has barely begun.”
In the documents released Thursday, the department acknowledged some of those concerns, particularly around supporting Syrian youth make a new life in Canada.
Those youth will be specifically targeted for new programs, with the government looking at how best to integrate children into a new school environment, or even a mobile app to advertise services and resources.
“Syrian refugees, like many newcomers to Canada, experience barriers to information, services and supports to help with their settlement process, and a lower-barrier, mobile digital tool is an effective solution,” the documents read.