Refugees: Myths and Facts #5
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Myth #5: Canada receives more than its fair share of refugees and is facing a refugee crisis
The Facts: Despite all the media hype, this is really not the case. Canada receives a minute percentage (0.26% in 2017) of the world’s refugees and asylum seekers. In fact, because of Canada's geographical location, it is actually quite difficult for asylum seekers to get here. More than 68.5 million people are currently forcibly displaced – inside and outside of their countries - by armed conflicts, persecution, and human rights abuses. [i] 28.5 million of these people are refugees and asylum seekers (displaced outside of their country), and half of them are children. There are more forcibly displaced people than at any other time since the end of world war two. Countries with few resources are hosting 85% of the world’s displaced people (e.g. Lebanon, Pakistan, Uganda). As a member of the G7 Canada is one of the 7 wealthiest countries; we have the means to increase our share of the refugee population by taking in more people in need. The total numbers of asylum claims received in 2017 was 50,385 and is likely to be a few thousand more in 2018. [ii] While this is higher than in recent years, it is comparable to the 44,695 claims made in 2001. Refugee movements are not predictable and variations in the annual number of claims received are inevitable.
When you consider for example that there are 3.5 million refugees in Turkey 1.4 million in Uganda, 1.4 million in Pakistan and, and that Lebanon has one refugee for every 6 citizens, it puts things in perspective. Increasing our capacity to be able to deal with more asylum seekers does not make this a crisis: it simply means that we are responding appropriately to a humanitarian need and doing our part to meet the world’s refugee situation. It is the causes of refugee movements - persecution and war – that are the real problem the world faces, not refugees themselves.
Quebec
Since 2016 Quebec has received the bulk of asylum seekers crossing irregularly into Canada. Many thousands have or will relocate to other provinces and recently the federal government started a triage system to direct people to other provinces. This situation would change if the Safe Third Country Agreement with the USA was cancelled. This Agreement is driving people to cross at Roxham Road which is a safe place to cross, unlike in Manitoba, where many people have lost digits due to frostbite and one person has died. If the STCA was revoked, people could cross safely and with dignity at any official border crossing in Canada. This would enable an equitable distribution amongst the provinces.
[i] http://www.unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html
[ii] Asylum Claims in Canada 2017: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/asylum-claims-2017.html
Asylum Claims in Canada 2018: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/asylum-claims.html
The Facts: Despite all the media hype, this is really not the case. Canada receives a minute percentage (0.26% in 2017) of the world’s refugees and asylum seekers. In fact, because of Canada's geographical location, it is actually quite difficult for asylum seekers to get here. More than 68.5 million people are currently forcibly displaced – inside and outside of their countries - by armed conflicts, persecution, and human rights abuses. [i] 28.5 million of these people are refugees and asylum seekers (displaced outside of their country), and half of them are children. There are more forcibly displaced people than at any other time since the end of world war two. Countries with few resources are hosting 85% of the world’s displaced people (e.g. Lebanon, Pakistan, Uganda). As a member of the G7 Canada is one of the 7 wealthiest countries; we have the means to increase our share of the refugee population by taking in more people in need. The total numbers of asylum claims received in 2017 was 50,385 and is likely to be a few thousand more in 2018. [ii] While this is higher than in recent years, it is comparable to the 44,695 claims made in 2001. Refugee movements are not predictable and variations in the annual number of claims received are inevitable.
When you consider for example that there are 3.5 million refugees in Turkey 1.4 million in Uganda, 1.4 million in Pakistan and, and that Lebanon has one refugee for every 6 citizens, it puts things in perspective. Increasing our capacity to be able to deal with more asylum seekers does not make this a crisis: it simply means that we are responding appropriately to a humanitarian need and doing our part to meet the world’s refugee situation. It is the causes of refugee movements - persecution and war – that are the real problem the world faces, not refugees themselves.
Quebec
Since 2016 Quebec has received the bulk of asylum seekers crossing irregularly into Canada. Many thousands have or will relocate to other provinces and recently the federal government started a triage system to direct people to other provinces. This situation would change if the Safe Third Country Agreement with the USA was cancelled. This Agreement is driving people to cross at Roxham Road which is a safe place to cross, unlike in Manitoba, where many people have lost digits due to frostbite and one person has died. If the STCA was revoked, people could cross safely and with dignity at any official border crossing in Canada. This would enable an equitable distribution amongst the provinces.
[i] http://www.unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html
[ii] Asylum Claims in Canada 2017: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/asylum-claims-2017.html
Asylum Claims in Canada 2018: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/asylum-claims.html