The homeless and persecuted need your help. They are called “refugees”.
There are more than 17 million refugees worldwide.
The solution for most is repatriation--the resettling of refugees back in their country of origin. For those who cannot return home, a new life is carved out in their country of asylum. Finally, if no other solution is available, refugees may be resettled in a third country, like Canada, the U.S, or many others.
Much to the surprise of many North Americans, resettlement is always a last resort. A mere 1% will be welcomed into a new country. Those that do, face the difficultly of adjusting to a new culture and often find their education and work experience worthless in their new land.
Despite these barriers, thousands of refugees apply to immigrate to Canada each year.
Justice for refugees is threatened: take Action against Bill C-4
The CRCNA and CRWRC, long-time partners with the government in refugee sponsorship, are very concerned about provisions in Bill C-4 (previously referred to as Bill C-49).
Introduced in Parliament on October 21, 2010, the stated intention of Bill C-49, entitled “Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act,” is to protect refugees and deter human smuggling. In reality, though the bill contains measures which bring harsher penalties against human smugglers of refugees, implementing this bill will, in fact, cause greater suffering for those refugees it is aiming to protect. Since the election of the Conservative majority government, Bill C-49 has been reintroduced as Bill C-4 and we continue to have the same concerns about the content of the legislation and the suffering it may cause to refugees if passed by Parliament.
Under Bill C-4 refugee claimants, including children, from certain designated groups will be jailed for a year before their claim is reviewed. Additionally, claimants from these same groups – decided solely at the discretion of the Minister for Citizenship and Immigration – will only be granted temporary status (even after proving refugees status) in Canada for five years before full citizenship is given, causing incredible delays before they can bring their spouses and children to Canada.
In light of these concerns, the CRCNA/CRWRC sent a letter to the Minister for Citizenship and Immigration, Jason Kenney, as well as the Prime Minister and opposition critics, encouraging civil and constructive dialogue on this important issue. Human smuggling is a scourge that must be dealt with, but not at the expense of the most vulnerable.
Following is some of the content of the letter sent on January 11, 2011:
We observe, with interest and concern, recent events and developments concerning human smuggling. We recognize human smuggling as a dangerous scourge and lament the conditions that drive vulnerable people to consider it as an option to reach safety. Further, we are well aware that human smuggling is a complex issue that requires nuanced policy deliberation and incremental approaches that focus on the protection of vulnerable people. We hope that future Parliamentary and public deliberation on Bill C-49 will be a civil and constructive dialogue that avoids oversimplifications, polarizations and name calling. Be assured that we will communicate this same message to your colleagues in Parliament.
We do not claim expertise on the complex problem of human smuggling but consider prevention of it a necessary and desirable goal of Canadian policy. However, along with our colleagues in the refugee support community, we have concerns with some elements of Bill C-49. The provisions for detention of identified groups, long-term restrictions on landed status and the related effects on children and family reunification would have adverse implications for the settlement and integration of vulnerable people in Canada. Though we suspect these elements are present in Bill C-49 as deterrence measures, we are deeply concerned that their effect will primarily be felt by vulnerable refugee populations, rather than smugglers. History has shown that the targeting of smugglers with enforcement and deterrence mechanisms is complex and minimally effective.
This underscores the necessity of a constructive public policy dialogue to develop effective enforcement and deterrence mechanisms that protect vulnerable refugees and prevent human smuggling. In the immediate context of Bill C-49, we trust that this dialogue can begin: first, by dropping polarizing rhetoric like anti-refugee, soft-on-smugglers or stopping queue jumping; and second, in constructive Parliamentary deliberation with civil society and international experts to develop effectiveprevention and enforcement mechanisms. We must underscore that such dialogue is only the beginning of a long-term, non-partisan process that will allow for expressions of concern for refugees, a hearing of the issues related to smuggling prevention and enforcement, and result in the protection of human life and respect for the rule of law.
We encourage participation in opposing this bill in its current form. For more information about the content of the bill and what you can do about it, check out the website of the Canadian Council for Refugees . If you have questions about how to take action or for the full text of the letter, please contact Rose Dekker at the CRWRC Canada office, or call 1-800-730-3490.
Why Canada?
Canada is unique among nations welcoming refugees. That’s because it is the only country that allows sponsorship capabilities by private organizations. CRWRC is one of the Canadian agencies that has been granted a sponsorship agreement.
This allows CRC congregations to apply to sponsor individuals defined as a refugee. Most eligible individuals who seek Canadian sponsorship are seeking eligibility as a Geneva Convention refugee, which is defined as,
“a person who, because of well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his/her nationality and is unable or afraid to ask for protection in that country, or not having a country of nationality, is outside the country where he/she usually lived, and is unable or afraid to return to that country.” (United Nations Convention, 1951.)
In addition to the Convention Refugee Abroad, members of the Country of Asylum Class and Source Country Class are also eligible for sponsorship.
Sadly, there are not nearly enough CRC congregations offering to sponsor refugees. CRWRC must turn away hundreds of applications every year. Won’t you consider sponsoring a refugee?
Remember- a person isn’t a refugee by choice. He is a refugee by the discriminating choices of others.
Note For Those Seeking Canadian Sponsorship
Please be forewarned that although CRWRC attempts to find sponsors for as many refugees as possible the agency cannot possibly respond to all the requests it receives each year. CRWRC is greatly limited in its response by both the stringent restrictions of the Canadian government and the number of churches available to sponsor
Steps to Sponsoring a Refugee
- Approach your deacon with your desire to sponsor a refugee and form a small action committee.
- Contact Rose Dekker (CRWRC Refugee Coordinator) or Rebecca Walker (CRWRC Refugee Associate), who can refer several cases of waiting refugees for your review. Take time with your committee to discern whom God is calling your congregation to sponsor.
- Communicate your decision to the refugee coordinator, at which time you may name the refugee(s) you would like to sponsor. The coordinator will assist you in preparing the sponsorship application.
- Receive your letter of approval and your application to sponsor from CRWRC. Sign the documents and send to your local Citizenship and Immigration Canada office.
- WAIT. This tends to be the most difficult part of the process for sponsoring congregations. While you wait, read over the Refugee Sponsorship Handbook & Helps, which will be mailed to you by CRWRC.
Additional Information
To learn more about this uniquely Canadian opportunity to sponsor a refugee, visit the Canadian government’s Refugee Resettlement website.
Refugees eligible for sponsorship in Canada are referred to Canadian visa posts by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. For more information about refugees around the world, visit the UNHCR website.
For those with a passion for refugee rights and advocacy in Canada, please visit Citizens for Public Justice.
Contact Information:
Rose Dekker, CRWRC Refugee Coordinator
Rebecca Walker, CRWRC Associate Refugee Coordinator
3475 Mainway
P.O. Box 5070, Stn LCD 1
Burlington, Ontario L7R 3Y8
Phone: 905-336-2920, x. 292 (Rose) X 232 (Rebecca)
Toll Free: 1-800-730-3490
Fax: 905-336-8344
Email: dekkerr@crcna.ca; walkerr@crcna.ca