This blog post was written by Jorge Garza, with contributions from Rani Cruz, Syed Hussan, Rochelle Ignacio, Njoki Mbūrū, Prachir Pasricha, Danya Pastuszek, and Mairead Stewart.
Annually, on April 4, we celebrate Refugee Rights Day in Canada. This date is marked by the anniversary of the 1985 Singh case in which the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the guarantees of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms apply to everyone physically present in Canada, including refugee claimants. We salute the efforts of refugee rights advocates and organizations across Canada that are championing for more just futures for refugee claimants and newcomers. Diversity fosters creativity and resilience in our communities. Refugees play an important role in strengthening the economy and contributing to building vibrant communities.
Recent studies have shown that belonging is essential to strengthening the quality of life and the level of social integration among newcomers, including refugees. However, there is work to be done in addressing isolation and creating a more just society for refugees to thrive in, including ensuring that refugees have culturally relevant and safe access to healthcare, good jobs, and affordable housing.
For example, community champions across Canada are building more caring and connected communities. In Montreal, Welcome Collective is mobilizing residents to provide immediate help to the city’s most precarious refugee claimants—specifically, pregnant women, families with young children, large families, people with disabilities, and seniors. The team connects newly-arrived families with locals and helps them find basic furniture and other essential items for their new homes, reducing stress and combating isolation. Their team provides psychosocial support, directs them to reliable and accurate legal information on their immigration cases, and advocates for individuals with complex cases.
Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC) is a driving force for justice and solidarity across the country. Through advocacy, network building, and collaboration, MWAC is building a member-led organization of migrant farmworkers, fishery workers, care workers, undocumented people, and current and former international students to win worker and immigration justice. Their advocacy efforts have been critical towards advancing immigration policy changes in Canada.
At Tamarack, we strengthen connections and collaborations between diverse people, organizations, and sectors to grow and align our capacity to make a difference. We focus our efforts on places where people live and amplify the voices of those most impacted by issues, recognizing they have the greatest insight on potential solutions. This case study showcases highlights from a participatory grantmaking project in Ontario’s Peel Region in which community members, including newcomers, applied their lived experiences and their knowledge of the settlement sector to identify key issues related to the economic mobility of newcomers.
We are also building a movement from coast to coast to coast to co-create a strategy for belonging that centres local gifts and aspirations into conversations about the economy and the quality of life for everyone. Through our relationships with communities, we have learned the value of collaborating with local governments to cultivate relationships that pivot from a service-oriented mindset towards co-creation grounded in solidarity when addressing the crisis of isolation. This spring and summer, we will launch consultations with communities to co-create this strategy for belonging. To magnify the impact of this work, the strategy needs to reflect the diversity of our communities, including refugees and newcomers to Canada. We hope you can join us by signing this pledge.
Together, let’s pave the way for more connected and just futures for all.
Dive Deeper
-
Learn more about Communities Building Belonging and join the movement.
-
Find out more about Welcome Collective’s activities and support their work.
-
Explore the latest news on MWAC’s activities and support their work.
-
Read this story on 13 champions who are building plans and interventions for belonging through Tamarack’s inaugural Circle of Actions.
-
Take a look at this article on empowering newcomers to the Peel Region through participatory grantmaking.
-
Explore this educational and advocacy tool to bridge polarization, strengthen the understanding of the universal experience of being a newcomer, and shift away from one-dimensional narratives of forced migration.
-
Register to attend this webinar on co-designing employment journeys with refugee youth.
Do you have any questions or comments? Would you like to learn more about Communities Building Belonging or get involved? Let’s connect!
Contact Jorge at jorge@tamarackcommunity.ca or book a meeting with him.
