#WelcomeToCanada
Zaher and Iman Ahmad and their two daughters are Syrian refugees they don’t speak English. Not a word. They have gone through the horrors of losing their friends and family, they have lost their homes and lives due to the bombs and air strikes attacks in Syria. After midnight on the 31st of December 2015, Iman and Zaher Ahmad and their two daughters arrived at Pearson International Airport. Their only possessions, other than their documents, were parka coats, winter boots, and a child’s teddy bear. They were put on a bus and taken to a hotel to sleep, then woken up a few hours later to return to the airport for their final journey to Ottawa. When they arrived, Zaher saw their names on a sign in Arabic and a big group of people
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Resettling refugees is a small way in which Canada show solidarity for the most vulnerable around the world. Canada is giving these families and people the chance to build new lives for themselves such as getting a good education, starting their own businesses, they’re able to be free to do what they want and know they are safe and have a stable home. Many refugees go on to make an important cultural and economic contributions. Canada’s modern-day refugee policy took shape following the end of the second world war when the country took on a greater role in global affairs. Between 1947 and 1952 Canada admitted hundred and 186,000 European refugees. In 1956 Canada resettled 37,000 Hungarian refugees and then also settled an additional 11,000 Czechoslovakian refugees in 1968. In 1978 when the immigration act first came into force in Canada and introduced ‘refugees’ of the distinct class of immigrants they stated that one of the objectives of Canada’s immigration policy was to ‘fulfil Canada’s international legal obligations with respect to refugees and to uphold its humanitarian tradition with respect to the displaced and the persecuted’. Canada then went to great lengths to uphold humanitarian values and resettle refugees in need from across the
Over the years Canada has become recognized as the most preferred country of both resettlement and travel. Thousands of individuals embark on a journey to Canada each year, because the country holds a remarkable reputation as a nation built upon peace, diversity, and acceptance. The multicultural environment in Canada is welcoming of people from multiple, ethnicities and cultures. The country’s history is very unique because it’s based heavily on immigration; Canada was established by the combined efforts from the indigenous First Nations and the European settlers from various parts of Europe. No single group can claim Canada to be theirs because it was a country built by immigrants and refugees from around the globe. Immigration has greatly influenced Canadian identity; it has become the vehicle which forged the character of Canada, as immigration policy changed so did the Canadian identity. The immigration sponsorship in addition to refugee programs made it possible for many Canadian refugees to reunite with their families, these programs influenced many refugees when deciding to immigrate to Canada. The multiculturalism and bilingualism is what makes this country standout as the number one immigrant destination. The various backgrounds, and nationalities which make up Canadian society, provides Canada with sense of diversity which can’t be found anywhere in the world. Canada must remain at the forefront of refugee immigration, changing or eliminating refugee programs will cause a loss of national identity.
The Family class makes up approximately 28% of people immigrating to Canada. This is a class of people who are wanting to immigrant to Canada in order to be with a relative or spouse who is a Canadian citizen or recent immigrant (also known as a Sponsor). There is no point system required to be accepted as an immigrant, but they must prove that their Sponsor is able to meet the minimum necessary income for them until the applicant can find an employment. Accepting these types of immigrants not only allows Canada to stay on good terms with its immigrants but, also keeps the money that the original immigrant would have been making, and sending back to their family in their home country, to stay and be spent in Canada. The Canadian government has many laws and policies for immigrants and immigration. For example, in 2002 the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act was instituted. It has four main objectives: to pursue social, cultural and economical benefits for all Canadians, to reunite families in Canada, to promote successful integration of immigrants and to respect the bilingual and multicultural character of Canada. Another example of a policy impacted by immigration was the Sign Decision in 1985. This was the ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada that the Immigration Act (1976) was a violation of our Section 7 rights in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In this case, Santam Sign was not permitted to appeal the government's refusal to his immigration proposal in court. As a result the Supreme Court ruled that this did not allow Sign the right to liberty, life and security- our basic Section 7 rights. People applying for refugee status in Canada now how the right to a quick and fair hearing with them in attending and any life necessities they may need while in Canada during this process. So as you can see, politics has
In conclusion, multiculturalism and immigration are vital factors in the evolution of Canada to be a strong multicultural example of economic stability, social, and political growth. They have lead to the emergence of Canada as a nation. The Government of Canada pioneered the Multiculturalism and Immigrant policy which help immigrants to keep their cultures and religions, while, learning new opportunities such as a better education system and training programs for children, teenagers, and adults, better translations and interpretations for immigrants who are seeking work, and strive to live in a harmonious and peaceful country.
The United States fails to protect its borders, while Australia sacrifices human rights in order to do so. Traditionally, first-world countries and their citizens assist those in less developed countries. Many of the island nations in the south pacific suffer from poverty and frequent natural disasters. Most would agree that, as the most developed country in the region, it is Australia’s responsibility to advocate for human rights and contribute to humanitarian efforts for the island nations. To its credit, Australia normally satisfies this role. However, when asylum-seekers come by boat, Australia draws a forceful line. The United States is also tasked with protecting its borders, but takes a more appropriate approach. In 2012, the PEW research
It is difficult enough to visit another country for an extended period of time, let alone wanting to live there permanently. After years of struggling with expired visas and passports and being sly about paying for necessary amenities, the Bangladeshi family thought seeking asylum in Canada would be better for them, especially since the oldest daughter, Aisha, was searching for a good college to study medicine at. “You forget. You forget you don’t really exist here, that this really isn’t your home. One day, we said, we’d get the paperwork right. In the meantime we kept going. It happens. All the time” (Budhos, p. 8). Their “home” felt even more foreign after September 11th. Being Muslim, they knew they would not be accepted. They felt threatened and trapped, so the plan to escape to Canada commenced, but tragedy struck when they found out Canada was “full” and could not take any more immigrants. With their dreams crushed and their father detained, Nadira and Aisha re...
Do you know that despite Canada being called multicultural and accepting, Canada’s history reveals many secrets that contradicts this statement? Such an example are Canadian aboriginals, who have faced many struggles by Canadian society; losing their rights, freedoms and almost, their culture. However, Native people still made many contributions to Canadian society. Despite the efforts being made to recognize aboriginals in the present day; the attitudes of European Canadians, acts of discrimination from the government, and the effects caused by the past still seen today have proven that Canadians should not be proud of Canada’s history with respect to human rights since 1914. First, is because of the attitudes of European Canadians towards aboriginals, which were mostly cruel and inhumane.
Canada had not always been a loving and accepting country. In the 20th century, Canada had committed countless acts of racism, hatred, and discrimination towards people who lived in the country. Yet over the years, Canada has evolved from this status and has proven its humanitarianism by fulfilling many acts of greatness. Humanitarian countries have earned this title by altering the conditions of a person by improving lifestyles, helping, and sharing general concern for the common man. Canada showed this trait by firstly making numerous peacekeeping acts to benefit others and themselves. Secondly, Canada has continued to better the lives of its residents by giving multiple benefits to those who are citizens. And lastly, Canada is one of the most culturally diverse nations and will accept all, based on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. No matter the cruelty Canada has shown in its past, the efforts it has made to redeem itself is more than anyone can ever overlook. Canada’s acts even today continue to show its ability to be a humanitarian nation.
Canada's immigration policies changed many times after the end of WWII. Before WWII the immigration policies were "picky" on the people who wanted to come to Canada, but after, it was fair and equal to everyone. Canada's immigration policies changed drastically from being discriminative to being fair and equal to everyone, every country and race after WWII. This act to eliminating discrimination was successful because of; the introduction of the Point System, the introduction of New Immigration acts/policies, and finally the changes made in accepting Refugees. These action completely changed the immigration policies.
Refugees have two basic choices. They can return to their home country, or they can try to settle in another country. Most refugees, however, cannot return home because conditions in their native country have not changed sufficiently to eliminate the problems from whi...
...of Canadian Integration and Immigration Policies at the Millennium. Mar 2000: 1-14. On-line. EBSCOhost. 03 Mar 2000 Avery, Donald. Peopling Canada. Mar 2000: 1-14. On-line. EBSCOhost. 03 Mar 2000. Available: wysiwyg://bodyframe.47/http://ehos....migration Bourrie, Mark. Population-Canada: No Longer Nice to Refugees, Critics Say. Mar. 2000: 1. On-line. Internet Explorer. World Wide Web. 05 Mar 2000. Available: http://www.oneworld.org/ips2/oct98/21_40_082.html Braham, Carol G. Random House Webster’s School & Office Dictionary. New York: Random House, 1998 "Immigration Policies Hurt Torontonians." The Toronto Star Nov 1999 On-line. Internet Explorer. World Wide Web. 05 Mar 2000. Available: http://www.thestar.com/back_issues/ED19991114/opinion/ 991114NEW02c_OP-HAROON14.html Ungerleider, Charles S. Immigration, Multiculturalism, and Citizenship: The Development of The Canadian Social Justice Infrastructure. Mar. 2000: 1-15. On-line. EBSCOhost. 03 Mar. 2000. Available: wysiwyg://bodyframe. 7/http://ehos...%20%26%20immigration%22&fuzzy You Asked About...Immigration and Citizenship. Ontario: Minister of Public Works and Government Services, 1999.
In recent months, the asylum seeker crisis has intensified, bringing the treatment of asylum seekers, particularly in offshore detention centers forward. While it is fantastic, that Australia has offered to take 12,000 refugees who are fleeing conflict in Iraq, it is a concern that it appears in doing so; many human rights have been overlooked. In August this year, a cache of documents was leaked from Australia’s offshore detention centers documenting details of assaults, sexual assault, trauma, self-harm and inadequate living conditions between 2013 and 2015.
Furthermore, the practice currently adopted by law enforcement agencies across the Canada is “don’t ask, don’t tell”, where officers will only investigate illegal immigrants if there is an active warrant out for their arrest, otherwise they will turn a blind eye if the illegal migrants are victims or witnesses of a crime (Quan, 2015, p.2). The cities emphasis on the need to accommodate undocumented immigrants, by providing them access to aid in areas of health care, finance, education etc., will in fact improve the well-being of these individuals and of their families. These individuals flee to Canada for various reasons, such as fear of domestic violence, persecution in their home country, wars, or to seek asylum. These changes can help illegal immigrants feel more accepted within the community and thus, more willing to seek help regardless of their status. The sense of belonging and acceptance into a community, is fundamental in developing personal identities and allows them to settle into their surrounding
Current social policies have not been favorable to immigrant families. The discussion on Canada’s social policy on immigration and poverty are integral in the study of discrimination of immigrants. One of the most insurmountable barriers that block the economic progress of immigrants is recognition of their foreign credentials, especially
Some of the biggest hurdles new refugees face coming to Canada can include culture shock and language barriers. Many people don’t take into consideration just how tough this would be, and although Canada’s population is considered to be very diverse, it can be difficult to fit in. Finding a job, a place to live and finding a doctor can be other obstacles they will face. Because many refugees are coming from a place or fear and terror, finding a doctor is extremely beneficial in their recovery (many refugees escape traumatic situations). I think Canada has done a great job with allowing refugees to come to Canada, and we should continue to be open with this opportunity. It is also, something that needs to be monitored as we are “opening our
Another casual night: the air is sticky, and the water is scarce, all throughout the country the sound of gunshots are ringing through the air. For most people, this “casual” night is beyond their wildest imagination, but for Syrians it is an ongoing nightmare. Faced with the trauma of a civil war, Syrian refugees seek protection and a more promising future than the life they currently live in their oppressive country. Many seek refuge in other Middle East countries like Turkey and Jordan, but others search for hope in the icon of freedom, the United States of America. However, in America, there is an ongoing debate about whether or not Syrian refugees should be accepted. America needs to accept the Syrian refugees because if they do not, the