Groups across Canada are organizing walks in June to help people get to know refugees and learn about the contributions they make to the community. “There’s been a lot of negative rhetoric affecting refugees and other newcomers in Canada in the last few years,” says Colleen French, communication and networking coordinator at the Canadian Council for Refugees.
‘Fear-mongering’ and ‘misconceptions’
“There’s a lot of fear-mongering going on and a lot of misconceptions that are being put forward because of a lot of changes in policy from the (Canadian) government,” says French. She says things like chain e-mails perpetuate myths and stereotypes about newcomers. To counter that, the council wants to give Canadians “the opportunity to see the faces and hear the stories” of newcomers.
“More than half of Canadians don’t know a lot about refugees who live in our communities,” says French. “This is an opportunity to get out there and to make connections so that people have a better understanding of both who are refugees are and how we can make our communities stronger together.”
Hopes of rebuilding Canada’s ‘tradition of protecting refugees’
Social justice groups and church congregations are traditional supporters of refugees and newcomers. The walks are an effort to draw support from other Canadians as well.
“We’ve always had a strong tradition of protecting refugees in this country for the past 30 years,” says French. “That tradition has been chipped away at recently and we’re really hoping to reclaim that so that Canada can take on its leadership role again for refugees on the world stage.”
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.