Canada claims to be “generous”, but in 2020 Canada accepted just over 25,500 refugees out of the over 82.4 million forcibly displaced people in the world – or 1 in 33,000 people.
And there are tens of thousands of refugees in Canada, working and living without labour rights, healthcare or other protections because they are waiting for or have been denied permanent resident status.
It’s important to know how Canada’s refugee system works to understand how much its failing people. Canada’s refugee system has two parts: in-land (applicants inside Canada) and resettlement (refugees outside Canada).
In- Land Applications
In-land applications are migrants that arrive in the country at the border (on planes or on foot), or are in the country already on other visas and apply for refugee status. In 2020, Canada accepted just 16,209 people in this stream – 1 out of 3 that applied were rejected.
Not only are rejections high, the backlog is enormous. As of March 30th this year, nearly 70,000 people are living in limbo, without equal rights, waiting for a decision on their applications.
During COVID-19, Canada has effectively slammed the door shut on refugees who simply aren’t able to enter or apply. Only 18,500 people were able to make applications in 2020, less than a third of the previous year of 58,378. 2021 looks even worse- only 2,245 new applications were received in the first three months this year. This while global displacement continued to rise.
The backlog, long processing times and high costs mean that many people abandon their applications before they get a decision. Refugees that are rejected have to go through a difficult and expensive appeals process, during which time they are excluded from basic rights, and many are unable to do so. Those that become undocumented live without basic rights, and therefore without the ability to fully protect themselves.
Canada must open its borders to refugees. Every resident of the country must have the equal rights, and that means the same permanent resident status.
Resettlement
Canada’s resettlement program (refugees that arrive as refugees from outside the country) is divided into three parts: government-assisted, private, and a blend of the two. Between January and October 2020, the Canadian government only assisted in the resettlement of 3,035 people, while 4,139 were resettled privately or with blended support.
These are incredibly low numbers, even for Canada. Mass exclusion of people fleeing for their lives is not a given. Throughout COVID-19, the government was able to ensure free flow of workers, study permit holders and citizens when it chose to. That refugees were excluded is a political decision, not a public health necessity.
People around the world are displaced as a result of decisions taken in wealthy countries like Canada. Today, Canada has one of the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions in the world, which is responsible for global climate change that displaces people in large numbers. Canada continues to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia which uses them in Yemen, resulting in millions displaced. And Canada supports and enforces crippling sanctions on Venezuela which has worsened economic conditions, forcing many to flee.
And that thing about Canada being the most generous? Each year, for World Refugee Day, the UN issues a global displacement report. Top 5 host countries this year are: Turkey, Colombia, Germany, Pakistan and Uganda, Canada doesn’t even make the top 10.