Canadians welcome refugees
Posted 02-10-2016 at 11:16 AM by DavidRaonic
While there have been many ups and downs, Canada has for the most part earned accolades and respect internationally over several decades for a strong commitment to protecting refugees.
In fact, Canada is the only country to have received the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' highest honour for respecting the rights of refugees – the Nansen Medal in 1986.
That proud record has deteriorated significantly over the past decade. A number of punitive legal and policy measures adopted domestically violated and undermined the rights of refugee claimants and refugees including cuts to the federal refugee health care program, restrictive procedures for individuals coming from so-called “safe” countries of origin, and mandatory detention for refugee claimants deemed to have arrived “irregularly” in the country. Internationally, Canada's slowness to take action on the Syrian refugee crisis was deeply troubling.
The international human rights organization Amnesty International has recommended the Canadian government assert high-level leadership in reaffirming the humanitarian and human rights imperatives at the heart of refugee protection and dispelling myths and misconceptions that erode support.
Amnesty International is also recommending that the government consult with refugee settlement organizations to identify and implement reforms needed to reduce barriers and shorten processing time for refugee sponsorship applications.
In fact, Canada is the only country to have received the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' highest honour for respecting the rights of refugees – the Nansen Medal in 1986.
That proud record has deteriorated significantly over the past decade. A number of punitive legal and policy measures adopted domestically violated and undermined the rights of refugee claimants and refugees including cuts to the federal refugee health care program, restrictive procedures for individuals coming from so-called “safe” countries of origin, and mandatory detention for refugee claimants deemed to have arrived “irregularly” in the country. Internationally, Canada's slowness to take action on the Syrian refugee crisis was deeply troubling.
The international human rights organization Amnesty International has recommended the Canadian government assert high-level leadership in reaffirming the humanitarian and human rights imperatives at the heart of refugee protection and dispelling myths and misconceptions that erode support.
Amnesty International is also recommending that the government consult with refugee settlement organizations to identify and implement reforms needed to reduce barriers and shorten processing time for refugee sponsorship applications.
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