Evidence of meeting #25 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was iraq.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Thank you.
I guess we'll go about five minutes—Bloc, NDP, and Conservatives. That will bring us up to the full hour.
Go ahead, Mr. Carrier.
Bloc
Robert Carrier Bloc Alfred-Pellan, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
It's always a bit sad for us Canadian citizens, who have lived without the problems you've had in your country, to hear that. We are well aware that we must make an effort to help you.
However, according to the statistics, Canada received only 190 refugee claims from Iraq in 2006. I don't think that's a lot. Is that because there aren't a lot of Iraqi refugees who would like to come to Canada? Would there be more claims if it were possible to take in more?
Canadian Chapter Chair, Mandaean Human Rights Group
Actually, that's a very good question.
The answer to that is that if you ask UNHCR, they will tell you the numbers of refugees waiting for countries to accept them. If Canada were to open the doors, I guarantee you that the numbers would be a lot higher than that. The question is, to be honest with you--and this is the experience of Canadians who would even sponsor their families here--Canada is really lacking in reacting and trying to accommodate people. When people sponsor their families.... I know of a member who tried to sponsor their parents, and it took two and a half years.
Actually, a lot of Iraqis...and I don't know if this is true, as I'm talking of Mandaeans, but I'm sure it's the situation with other Iraqis. Canadians unfortunately are closing the doors on them. They are not listening to them. They are not really accepting them, because of what they hear. So what I urge the committee is to ask the UNHCR and see how many...because I can tell you there are thousands of Mandaeans waiting for countries like Canada to take them.
Bloc
Robert Carrier Bloc Alfred-Pellan, QC
So I take note of the fact that Canada could be more open to accepting new Iraqi refugees.
Does someone else want to make any comments?
Chairman and Executive Director, Welfare Committee for the Assyrian Community in Canada
If I may, there are lots of refugees who do not have any relatives in Canada. So if Immigration Canada really shares a little bit under the JAS program, or a blended program, there would be some early-stage financial assistance for these people until they are able to find jobs. There are lots more who are waiting and really desperate to get to Canada.
Our communities are able to look after them. Especially in our case, our organization has been doing that for the last 20 years, bringing people over without any problems. We are responsible for the first year, so they don't have to go to welfare.
Bloc
Robert Carrier Bloc Alfred-Pellan, QC
Based on the comments of the previous groups, the emphasis should at least be put on sponsorship cases, with a view to accelerating the arrival of parents or children of individuals who are already in Canada, which would promote family reunification.
Chairman and Executive Director, Welfare Committee for the Assyrian Community in Canada
The family class is a different thing. There's no problem in sponsoring under the family class, because the member of the family is here in Canada. There is no need for the communities to be involved.
The main problem is that we want to sponsor those who do not have a close relative--just friends and distant relatives--so that we can bring them here.
Educational coordinator, Member of the board, Assyrian, Chaldean, Syriac Student Union of Canada
I concur with the two points made. They were very good, but if I can, I'll add a third point.
Many of the refugees might be looking to the international community to do something, to see Iraq become better so they can resettle. If in a few years they see that nothing is changing, you will see many more applications being forwarded to Canada, but if something can be done, the number can be prevented.
Conservative
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
I want to focus specifically on numbers, the immigration committee numbers. In the past, it has been about 500 to 800 refugees from Iraq per year. The recent announcements brought it up to 2,000. We've heard that the number of people in refugee camps outside Iraq is close to two million. What number do you think would be appropriate in terms of the number of Iraqi refugees Canada should bring into Canada per year? That would include, I would imagine, those who don't fit under family class. So if you could look at the entire Iraq program, it would be the brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts who right now would not fit under the family class application.
What number do you think would be appropriate?
Canadian Chapter Chair, Mandaean Human Rights Group
I would answer this way. If we look back, we can find out what Canada did in other situations.
Canadian Chapter Chair, Mandaean Human Rights Group
They took 30,000, 40,000, or 50,000 in a situation where there were fewer than one million refugees. Now we have four million refugees and we're taking 2,000.
What number? It should be in the thousands, from the point of view of Mandaean refugees, who, as I said in my opening remarks, are the most vulnerable people. We have 12,000 stranded in Jordan and Syria. They are talking about proposing a safe haven for the north. Mandaeans cannot settle there. It is not like our brethren Christians who have roots and have villages and have history there. Mandaeans don't have that.
So to answer your question, Canada should look back and see what Canada did in situations like this. It would be in the tens of thousands, in my opinion.
Thank you.
Chairman and Executive Director, Welfare Committee for the Assyrian Community in Canada
With regard to the number, it's difficult to say at this end how many people would be coming to Canada, but it is a very simple matter to find out how many there are, because every refugee registers with UNHCR where he wants to resettle. That can be found from UNHCR sources in Syria and Jordan.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
I know the number. That wasn't my question, though. The registration is one thing, but the target number per year is something different. That is set by the minister and by the government.
Yes, I do understand the history of the Vietnamese refugees, for example. There were tens of thousands who came within a period of time.
One percent of two million is about 20,000. I don't know what people think of that.
Chairman and Executive Director, Welfare Committee for the Assyrian Community in Canada
Excuse me, the main thing to remember is that we would very much like to see Assyrians settled in their own homeland so that they don't have to come to Canada or to other outside countries. But there are those who have lost their homes, and they are desperate. There are people who want to come. Now is the critical period. It's not a question of what percentage every year, because maybe in two years' time, when Iraq is stable and quiet and everybody is settled down, they won't be coming here. There is no need to give figures for the next four-year period.
Member, Assyrian Society of Canada
I tend to agree with Mr. Shmoil in terms of our first choice being to have the refugees settled back in their homes. But I agree that you'd be looking for a target number that the minister could set for the number of refugees that would come to Canada. We need to look at Canada's responses in the past and make sure that the response now is fair and equitable in terms of previous responses and what Canada is capable of taking in.
Member, Assyrian Society of Canada
I don't know the exact numbers for the other ethnic groups of refugees who have come to Canada, in terms of how many refugees there were and what percentage were brought into Canada. So without knowing those numbers, it would be hard to say that it's fair and equitable, but it sounds a little bit on the light side.
Educational coordinator, Member of the board, Assyrian, Chaldean, Syriac Student Union of Canada
Can I add something?
Educational coordinator, Member of the board, Assyrian, Chaldean, Syriac Student Union of Canada
I have a formula. I'm not going to give you any numbers, because again I'm not a specialist in setting these numbers. However, I believe a formula should be followed--it's very easy--in regard to the ChaldoAssyrian Christians, at least.
For every ChaldoAssyrian Christian who is admitted to Canada, you need to make sure that one ChaldoAssyrian Christian in Iraq does not become a refugee. That's one thing we need to keep in mind here.
I know this is a citizenship and immigration committee, but you need to be working with someone else to make sure the ethnic cleansing in Iraq is stopped. So for every one who is admitted here, make sure that another one does not become a refugee, is not killed, is not raped, is not persecuted.