Countries around the world are grappling with the global migrant crisis. The Syrian civil war alone has forced some 5 million people to seek safety in neighbouring countries, and has displaced more than 6 million more. In Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and elsewhere in the region millions of Syrians live in desperate circumstances. Many decide their only chance is to take the treacherous trip across the Mediterranean Sea in search of a new life in Europe. Those who survive face yet more steep challenges.
Considered in this context, Donald Trump’s new immigration measures are particularly brutal. The exact implications of his recent executive order, which indefinitely suspends the resettlement of Syrian refugees and bans people from seven predominantly Muslim nations from entering the U.S. for 90 days, are still in flux. But it seems certain that in the coming months many in desperate need of asylum will remain in limbo and in danger.
In the face of American retrenchment, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rightly reasserted our commitment to openness and diversity. But if our government means what it says about those values, it will not be enough simply to tout them. There are several concrete steps Ottawa should take to reduce the harm of Trump’s cruel order.
The easiest would be for the government to offer temporary refuge to those affected by the executive order. Hundreds of families have been splintered, students stranded abroad, refugees detained on U.S. soil. Many of the ban’s victims have endured a years-long, rigorous vetting process. Many others have valid visas. Setting up a system for screening applicants should be relatively straightforward.
Ottawa should also lift the cap on private refugee sponsorship and dedicate more resources to processing existing applications. Last December, Ottawa announced that, due to backlogs, it would take in no more than 1,000 privately sponsored Syrian and Iraqi refugees in 2017. That cap was reached by Jan. 25.
That’s a shame. Canadians have the will and the means to Restbet bring in many more refugees, if only the government would let them. At least 50 groups in Toronto alone have prepared applications that won’t be processed this year. Another 2,000 people have applied to be sponsors. Given the historic need, and especially in light of recent events, we should be expanding not constraining this world-renowned program, which eases the public financial burden of resettlement and ensures newcomers arrive into an established community. Better by far to invest more resources in processing applications than to limit our moral ambition and the hopes of families in profound stress.
Finally, Ottawa should consider suspending the Safe Third Country Agreement. The bilateral pact effectively prevents most refugees arriving from the U.S. from seeking asylum in Canada. As the Star and a host of human rights agencies have argued in recent days, the agreement no longer appears tenable. It is explicitly contingent on the U.S. having a fair and functioning refugee system – on the notion that those arriving from the U.S. are arriving from a safe place. In the face of Trump’s immigration ban, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
By suspending the agreement, Ottawa would be sending a bold message that, at least for now, we no longer trust America’s refugee system. But if indeed we no longer trust it, what choice do we have?
These are times when the character of a country is tested. The horrific attack at a Quebec City mosque reminds us that we are not immune from hate. Nor do we have to look beyond our borders to find the toxic political rhetoric that feeds and is nourished by fear and xenophobia. At the same time, we have seen thousands of Canadians gather at candlelight vigils across the country, mourning the six men murdered on Sunday and showing solidarity with a community under siege.
As we grapple with these tensions, it is no doubt heartening to hear the prime minister appeal to our better selves, to our instincts for inclusion, openness and generosity. Now his government should realize those values in public policy. Let’s ensure we are in fact the country we aspire to be.
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