Are We Losing our Reputation for Welcoming Refugees?

It is now being sorely tested with what appears to be unnecessary roadblocks to facilitating the emigration of threatened -Afghan refugees and Ukrainian families fleeing war. Our young immigration Minister, Seam Fraser appears tongue tied trying to explain inexplicable delays facing worthy candidates for resettlement.

We’ve gone a long way from the efficient resettlement of many thousands of refugees from Southeast Asia in the late 1970s and early 1980’s. Over 100,000 Vietnamese were welcomed and now make a very visible and major contribution to our nation. Operation Lifeline mobilized community groups to sponsor Vietnamese refugees. This private sponsorship with government support was the first of its kind in the world. It continued with Syrian refugees.

We all remember the video of Justin Trudeau happily welcoming the first Syrian refugees at Toronto’s Airport in December 2015. Operation Syrian Refugees was our response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria. Over the span of 100 days, Canadians from coast to coast to coast, private sponsors, non-governmental organizations and provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, and international partners -welcomed more than 25,000 Syrian refugees.

How times have changed. There is now a two year wait time and groups are increasingly frustrated by painfully slow or no movement for Syrian families already designated for sponsorship. It seems that the pandemic, bureaucracy and understaffed foreign offices is hurting a very innovative and promising program.

Things are no better for so many of Canada’s 1.3 million citizens of Ukrainian origin ready to welcome families feeling from war. They find them facing major difficulties getting a visa under a new allegedly fast track program. One of the stumbling blocks, unheard of in earlier programs, is getting biometrics which involve going to a Canadian Embassy for fingerprinting and background checks, after filling in multiple online forms in a foreign language. Surely a passport should be enough in this dire situation for mothers and children.

Canadian TV coverage of crowds of Ukrainian families escaping into Poland and other neighboring countries always feature interviews with mothers trying to get a visa for Canada and complaining how difficult it is. Currently, less than one third of 112,000 applications had been approved. As of Mid-March about 3,400 had arrived. There is no limit to the number we will welcome. But no PM welcoming arrivals this time. Just Ukrainian Canadians complaining about bottlenecks getting fellow countrymen over here.



How sad. There is no lack of public support for bringing over more Afghans where we have a moral duty to help those who helped us. No lack of public desire to welcome Ukrainian mothers and kids. The arms of the huge Canadian population of Ukrainian origin are open. Where is the political will that was so evident in the case of boat people and Syrian refugees?