Good afternoon, parliamentary committee members and guests.
My name is Eva-Gazelle Rududura and I am the vice-president of UNICC, Unis pour une intégration consciente au Canada, a not-for-profit organization whose objective is to promote the harmonious integration of newcomers from the Burundian diaspora into society and the workforce, and enable them to contribute to the social and cultural development of their new country, Canada.
In response to the invitation the organization received to testify regarding the conditions faced by asylum seekers in the Burundian community who arrive via Roxham Road, we did some information-gathering in order to collect their testimony. In addition to the information we regularly receive from the members of the community we meet with and help to integrate, we held individual discussions with more than a dozen people who had come via Roxham Road. When they were assured that their anonymity would be protected, they spoke openly. We are going to provide you with a condensed version of what they said.
Everyone who spoke regarding entry to Canada via Roxham Road talked about the warm, humane and very respectful reception they got from the border services and police officers. In general, the people who spoke said they had received good guidance regarding how the administrative formalities would proceed, as well as help in navigating to obtain the support services they needed.
One woman who had come via Roxham Road when she was pregnant told us that when she arrived she was greeted in French and she felt better, not just because of the language, but also because of the human warmth of the Canadian officers. After helping her complete the administrative process, they showed her a place where she could buy something to eat and guided her to the station where she was able to get the bus to go to the downtown Montreal YMCA, where she spent the night. At the YMCA, she met another woman who directed her to the immigration office so she could report that she preferred to join her uncle who lived in Ottawa. Her case was then transferred to Ottawa, where she is living today with her husband and two sons. That woman is the wife of the current president of UNICC, Corneille Nibaruta, who joined her several years later. Today, they both work for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
In the course of our interviews, which were relatively similar in terms of the positive responses, we also heard the experience of a young man who arrived several months ago via Roxham Road, who knew no one in Canada. He told us that all he knew about this country was that he could build a life here that was worth living. Today, he has found a shared apartment and is impatiently awaiting a work permit so he can enter the workforce.
This enthusiasm for work is a hallmark of the Burundian community living in Canada. A majority of that community is composed of people who were first granted protected person status. Today, they have integrated into society and have become permanent residents or Canadian citizens and are contributing to the richness of Canada. They are also proud of this.
The members of the Burundian community in Canada include public servants in the federal and provincial governments, healthcare workers who are saving lives and helping to keep Canadian healthcare systems thriving from coast to coast, successful entrepreneurs who are creating jobs and helping to strengthen the Canadian economy, and experienced engineers like the Burundi-Canadian woman who is working on projects like the Canadarm or bringing the Internet to the North Pole.
Another not insignificant characteristic of the Burundian community is its considerable contribution to Canadian francophonie, as shown by these figures: between 2016 and 2020, five per cent of the francophone immigrant population in Canada outside Quebec originated from Burundi. Between 2006 and 2016, Burundi ranked second, after France, among the countries of origin of francophone newcomers in Ontario.
Last, the refugee claimants of today are also the potential Canadian residents and citizens of tomorrow whom Canada can count on. By giving thousands of refugee claimants a fresh start, Canada in return receives the finest they have to offer, whether that be their knowledge, their skills, their labour, or, in many cases, their youth.
I have attached to my presentation an article that the president of UNICC, Corneille Nibaruta, wrote in celebration of the welcome that people find in Canada. The article was published in Le Droit on June 28, 2019, and is entitled "La reconnaissance d'un citoyen envers le Canada". Today, Mr. Nibaruta is a proud and committed Canadian citizen, whose story resembles that of many others in our community. It is a story that, like so many others, began with entry via Roxham Road and continues today with the gratitude of a proud and committed citizen.
Thank you.