In the last few years, Collingwood has welcomed seven Syrian refugee families (48 people) to town. Three families came to Canada on private sponsorships by the Collingwood Syrian Family Sponsorship Committee, others have come to Canada on government sponsorships.
One family that came to Canada on a government sponsorship were first placed in Saskatchewan where they experienced poor treatment from some residents, and were left alone in an apartment for three months with no English language education or support for simple things like finding a grocery store, no Internet, and no television.
In Collingwood, they were treated well by local residents and volunteers from the sponsorship committee, but had a hard time finding a place to live (they had to move several times in the first few months). Recently, their relatives also came to Canada as refugees, but it took nearly a year of departure dates being pushed back multiple times before they could leave Iraq, where they were living after fleeing Syria.
The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada reports there are 74,700 refugee claim cases pending as of June 30, 2019, plus another 111 claims made prior to 2012 not yet settled.
CollingwoodToday.ca asked all the Simcoe-Grey candidates the following question:
What will you do for refugees coming to Canada to make the process work better?
Here are there answers.
Terry Dowdall, Conservative candidate for Simcoe-Grey, did not respond to requests for a comment on the refugee question.
Lorne Kenney, Liberal
Without knowing all the specific issues that made these particular refugees feel uncomfortable and alone, I will say that going forward I would make every attempt to make refugees feel most welcome in Canada and ensure that there is an integration process that addresses all language, religious, safety, housing, job and educational issues.
Prior to the Liberal Government taking power on October 19, 2015, the Harper Government refused ANY refugees into Canada.*
Unfortunately, Canada’s eagerness to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees into Canada between October 19 and December 31, 2015 may have led to some inadvertent deficiencies that have since been rectified by Immigration Canada.
I would like to hear more from these specific families in order to ensure that best practices are followed in the future.
*According to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) of Canada there were about 8,000 refugee claims approved in 2013, almost 10,000 approved in 2014, and another 9,700 approved in 2015. The current government took office at the end of 2015. Since then, there were approximately 10,000 refugee claims approved in 2016, 14,300 in 2017, and about 16,000 in 2019.
Ilona Matthews, NDP
I will do what is necessary to speed up the process.
I would make arrangements to get them in touch with someone they can talk to (who, of course, speaks their language) and who might visit them regularly, and help familiarize them with their surroundings to make sure they feel secure in their situation so that they do not feel lonely and abandoned.
Sherri Jackson, Green
It is so important that we help new Canadians feel safe and welcome in our country. Many immigrants have endured horrific ordeals and made tremendous sacrifices to arrive here.
We can each do a little to reach out to these families, as members of a caring and supportive community like Simcoe-Grey. That's one of the things I think we're known for in rural Ontario. We're a pretty friendly and welcoming bunch.
As for what the federal government can do, Greens would allocate much greater funding for English and/or French as a second language training for new immigrants. We would provide transfers to the provinces for primary and secondary public school and free night school programs to help immigrants get the language assistance and cultural assistance they need to operate more easily.
We also think it's important that immigrants are able to connect with their cultural community, so they feel less isolated. So we would assist cultural organizations to obtain charitable status and increase funding of multicultural associations providing immigrant support programs including language programs.
It's also important to reunite families as quickly as possible, so we would look to streamline the process, especially for reuniting children with their parents.
Richard Sommer, PPC
We are delighted to see that Syrian refugees are being welcomed into our community!
We, as a family, have sought to reach out in hospitality and to make them feel welcome. Many city centres have a ministerial group of goodwill organizations which would be a great contact for the immigration agency. If these two organizations could be connected we would really be making good use of connections that are already in place.
Often needs like these fall between the cracks because those who wish to demonstrate Canadian hospitality do not know who has the needs. Government agencies would make an enormous step in helping such people with a simple phone call or email.
Simcoe-Grey people, and Canadians in general, are known around the world for their friendliness and hospitality. Here’s an area where, for no additional cost, families like the seven welcomed to Collingwood in the last few years would find just one other reason to love Canada and the people in this riding! This is something we are good at as Canadians!
*Note: The PPC platform proposes a reduction in the number of refugees accepted in Canada, and placing the priority on persecuted groups such as, “Christians, Yazidis, and members of other minority religions in majority Muslim countries.”
Tony D’Angelo, Veteran’s Coalition Party
Personal or group Sponsorship of an immigrant person or family is by far one of Canada’s most amazing events. The feeling of community is enhanced and New Canadians are warmly welcomed into our communities.
Sadly and unfortunately, when the Government of Canada organizes sponsorship of immigrant or refugee families there is much less of a community-minded spirit, and far more check-boxes on a “to-do list”. This has to be changed.
Immigrants and refugees are people, just like you and I. People are not tasks to be completed, or numbers on a page inside the finished column of a spreadsheet.
One of the VCP’s goals when talking about immigration changes for the future is to ensure that we do not leave new Canadians unwelcome. Refugees and immigrants need volunteers and sponsorships in order to help provide that sense of welcoming into our communities.
A change as small as asking for volunteers to become community liaisons for new Canadians could mean the difference between immigrants finding a new home or finding isolation in a foreign nation.
Leaders set the standard for others to emulate.
The VCP wants to be that leader.
*Note: The VCP platform proposes a moratorium on accepting immigrants and refugees to Canada for an unspecified amount of time.
