Canada's reduced refugee targets 'smart' for housing stability: UNHCR – National
It is wise for Canada to reduce the number of new refugees it plans to resettle if it helps stabilize the housing market and prevent a backlog of new arrivals, the head of the UN refugee agency said during a visit to Ottawa this week.
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and cabinet members Monday in Ottawa where the Liberal government pledged $50.4 million to the agency.
His visit comes just over a week after the federal government announced plans to cut immigration levels by 20 per cent by 2025 – a cut that includes refugees and protected people.
The government cited the pressure to find housing as one of the reasons for the new policy.
Grandi says Canada remains a world leader in resettlement, but says refugee sentiment is weakened by economic or housing crisis and “it would be really bad” to see it destroyed.
“Without good housing, integration is difficult or threatens social cohesion between Canadians affected by the housing crisis and the people who come to compete for housing,” he said in an interview Monday.
“I think that in these circumstances, it is wise to put things in order, to be stable, to consolidate, because otherwise you have high numbers coming, – which is very good in the context of the world – but it can cause problems, it can cause a setback in the area.”
If there are economic or housing constraints, integrating refugees should be handled with great care, he said.
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The newly established targets will see the projected number of refugees granted permanent residency status in Canada reduced by 14,400 by 2025 compared to the plan set out last year.
The reduction is even steeper for people protected in Canada and their dependents abroad, which are expected to decrease by 31 percent compared to the government's previous plan.
The move drew criticism from immigrant groups, including the Canadian Refugee Council, which called the new program dangerous and treasonous.
“It is not an exaggeration to say that this action taken today will rob children of their future and destroy families. People will lose their lives,” council president Diana Gallego said in a statement when the Liberals unveiled their new plan.
Canada played a major role in the resettlement of Syrian, Ukrainian and Afghan refugees in the past few years, although their individual programs varied.
The goals put forward will allow Canada to honor all of its existing obligations related to refugees, said Immigration Minister Marc Miller, but now the government must look.
“If we want to continue to be an open, welcoming country, there must be appropriate limits on the different envelopes in which we welcome people. Otherwise, they are all at risk,” he said in an interview.
Grandi said he hopes that the targets can be increased once the country has the necessary facilities and housing to integrate the newcomers.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
