We often hear Canada described as a country of immigrants. The Aboriginal First Nations are the original inhabitants; everyone else arrived over the last 500 Many were refugees, escaping persecution and harsh conditions in their homelands.
But it was not until 1976 and the adoption of a new Immigration Act that refugees were recognized as a special class of immigrants. In 1978 the Refugee Status Advisory Committee was created to decide on the validity of a refugee’s claim.
Janet Dench is the Executive Director of the Canadian Council for Refugees. She tells Carmel Kilkenny about the evolution of Canada’s refugee history. From the dark days of the early 20th century when the doors were basically closed to Asian refugees, to the tragedy of the Second World War when Jewish refugees were rejected, to the honour of the Nansen Award in 1986.
Click here to listen to the interview on our Refugee in Canada dossier.
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