Refugees are a benefit to Canada
Picture yourself in the comfort and safety of your home. Now imagine waking up in your so called secure residence at three in the morning to bombs dropping, windows shattering, blood-curdling screams echoing through the neighbourhood, and friends and neighbours dying in the streets. This dreaded occurrence is a reality for many refugees such as Sharmina, a physician and loving father from Baghdad, Iraq whose family moved to Canada in 2007, following the bombing of their hometown. Sharmina was quoted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) saying “Getting refugee status is like getting a new birth certificate, you have to start your life again and it is not easy”. After arriving in Canada, Sharmina and his family faced many struggles, including not being able to speak English, and trying to obtain and maintain employment in a country remarkably foreign to them. Although refugees are confronted with many conflicts after arriving in a new country, they are deeply appreciative of everything and everyone that aided them to escape the gruesome battlefield that they used to call home.
A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee their native country to escape harm; today most commonly caused by war. The Government of Canada has stated on their website that between November 4th, 2015, and January 29th, 2017, Canada has accepted 40 081 refugees into the country, with plans to accept more. I am Hannah Johnstone, a student at Kensington Intermediate Senior High School, as well as a devoted Christian. My beliefs have influenced me to research refugees, and to advocate for them, as they are valued members of our country. My religion preaches love and acceptance, which is exactly what these people need in their time of agony and despair. Whether or not Canada should accept refugees into the country has been an ongoing controversial issue for years, yet what people fail to realize is that refugees are not a burden to our country, rather they are benefits to our nation in many ways.
One of the main concerns of Canadian citizens regarding taking in refugees is if they pose a physical threat to our country and our people. Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau has mentioned that just because some of Canada believes that some refugees could cause harm, that is no need for us to shut our doors to all of those people in distress. The process of accepting refugees into the country is more complicated than most believe, there are five distinct steps that the refugee must pass in order to be invited into our country. The UNHCR website has a page stating the process of acceptance of a refugee, which includes:
Their eligibility: if they are able to return or stay in their hometown and have not participated in any war acts.
Their vulnerability: single mothers and their children, as well as orphaned children, are accepted above everyone else.
Review by a protection officer: the police search for any inconsistencies in the refugees’ stories.
Review by a visa officer: an interview with Canadian officers and background checks on the refugee.
The refugees’ file is run through databases for the Canadian Security Intelligence Agency, and the Canadian Border Patrol Agency. A medical test is also performed on the refugee.
If the refugee is to fail in any of the steps, or if there are any concerns regarding their application, it is simply not accepted.
Furthermore, it was announced earlier this year by Huffington Post that settling 25 000 refugees in Canada will cost the country $1.2 billion over the next six years. Around the same time is was announced that the funding for refugees taking English language courses in Central Canada, as well as the Prairie Provinces, had been lowered. Many people are skeptical as to if the government should be using large amounts of funding on the refugees, as they are not technically Canadian citizens. Ironically, by inviting refugees into our country and spending this money, we are receiving economic benefits, especially in regions such as Atlantic Canada. In Atlantic Canada we have a rapidly aging population, without refugees, the population of Canada would diminish greatly, leading to labour shortages, and strains on the medical system. What Canadians fail to consider is that refugees succeed in creating wealth and jobs in Canada.
We as Canadians, have the capability to rescue refugees from the violence and hatred that they were experiencing, although we are not obligated to help. Instead of hearing a child screaming in pain and panic due to a bombing, we want to hear them screaming with laughter as they are being pushed down the sledding hill for the first time. The refugees understand and are thankful for how accommodating and loyal Canada is to them. Some people tend to think that the refugees take all of this for granted, and do not help the Canadians back at all; this is not the case. For example, just last year there was a wildfire raging throughout Alberta, wiping out many towns and cities, including Fort McMurray. The Kallas’, a family of Syrian refugees that arrived in Canada in December 2015, felt obliged to help the families in need.
They had stated that Canada had provided them everything they needed, and therefore they found that is was their duty to offer a helping hand. To show their gratitude to the country, with the help of some other citizens, they created care packages filled with some necessities for many of the families that lost their homes and their belongings in the fire. Matthew Osnowitz, of the University of Pennsylvania, explained the concept of accepting refugees in a very interesting way; a homeless man knocks on your door, and instead of holding up a tin and asking for money, he asks you for shelter and food. You have plenty of food and a spare room, but you are not obligated to let him in. It is your decision whether or not this man is allowed to enter your home, and whether or not you will help him.
Canadian citizens should not feel intimidated or scared of the refugees coming into the country, as they pose no threat to us. Instead, we should feel relieved that we were able to liberate these people from the pain and suffering that they were experiencing in their native country. By accepting refugees, we as Canadians are investing in not only our future but theirs too. Being able to help thousands of grief-stricken people, while at the same time boosting our economy, should without a doubt be an interest for Canada and its inhabitants. Even though we are not required to help the refugees, it is beneficial to both of us if we do, and for that reason, there should be nothing holding Canada back from doing so. I greatly appreciate everybody's attentiveness today and would like to finish off my presentation by leaving you with a thought to ponder: What you would do if you received a knock on your door? Thank you.