CANADIAN CONNECTION


For almost 40 years, UNHCR has played a unique role in Canada


see a UNHCR aid worker distributing food or blankets in Toronto or Ottawa. And never has a Canadian mayor ever complained about the strain of receiving thousands of refugees within a span of a few weeks.


W


Canada is one of 28 countries to resettle about 100,000 refugees a year. Canada has been a leader in the past in accepting significant numbers of refugees in the 1970s during the military coup in Chile and then from Indo-China as thousands of people fled to Canada. But even though their


numbers are relatively


small—for example, in 2012, Canada received about 23,000 refugees and their families—refugees are an important part of Canada’s


longstanding tradition of welcoming immigrants.


UNHCR (UN Agency for Refugees) was established in 1950 by the UN General Assembly to provide protection for refugees and seek solutions to their problems. According to the 1951 Refugee Convention, UNHCR has a supervisory role over states who have signed on to apply the Convention. In 1976, UNHCR opened its doors in Canada; its purpose


24 / UNHCR


e don’t have tent cities full of refugees in Canada. It’s unlikely that you’ll ever


is to protect and resettle refugees; as well, the agency informs and educates Canadians about the plight of refugees around


the world and raises So how does UNHCR work in Canada?


In a big picture view, the agency works with Canadian government departments such as Citizenship and Immigration and the Immigration and Refugee Board to


advise on policies and legislation


concerning refugees, as well as observe hearings of asylum-seekers. UNHCR also works with non-governmental groups that sponsor refugees in Canada.


In terms of individual refugees, the UNHCR


representatives in countries where who work refugees flee—for


example, Lebanon has become home for millions of Syrian refugees right now—first identify possible candidates for resettlement. Most refugees long to return home as soon as it’s safe to do so. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible and resettlement becomes one of the solutions available to help refugees rebuild their lives. Canada is a leading UNHCR resettlement partner and accepts the majority of refugees who apply.


funds


from the government and individual Canadians.


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