fact or fiction
MYTH: Refugees are a drain on the economy.
FACT: Immigrants, including refugees, have a long and proven track record of contributing to our economy (not to mention to Canadian culture, politics and overall society). As a group, they tend to have strong entrepreneurial skills and a desire to succeed. Today, some of Canada’s successful business leaders were once refugees who came from Lebanon during that country’s civil war in the ‘60s and ‘70s. They increased tax revenues, created wealth, and provided jobs for Canadians. Experts say that Syrian refugees will do the same by boosting the economy in Canada’s have-not regions, such as Atlantic Canada, where shrinking populations and an aging workforce need an influx of young workers.
MYTH: Refugees have smartphones. They must be well-off and don’t really need our help.
FACT: Smartphones are a vital lifeline for refugees. Often that’s all they have to navigate a dangerous route to safety. Mobile phones allow them to contact their friends and family members, warn others about difficult routes, and reconnect with loved ones once in a safe place. Like most Canadians, refugees from relatively well-developed countries such as Syria, have used smartphones for years.
MYTH: Most refugees are hosted by wealthy countries.
FACT: Developing countries host 86 per cent of the world’s refugees. About 26 per cent of the global total is hosted by the least developed countries. Turkey, Pakistan, and Lebanon each host over one million refugees.
6 / UNHCR
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