After the overthrow of Assad in Syria, what will happen to the refugee claims in Canada? – National
The overthrow of Bashar al-Assad after more than a decade of civil war that displaced millions of people of Syria On Sunday, the president of a coalition of rebel groups raised questions about what will happen to Syrian asylum claims.
Several European countries are suspending or suspending processing of asylum claims from Syria. So what does the future hold for Canada’s own Syrian refugee program?
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Immigration Minister Mark Miller said Canada will continue to assess asylum claims because the country is not facing the same pressure or number of refugees as countries such as Germany or Austria.
“We don’t experience this flow in Canada. “I don’t know where asylum seekers rank in terms of source countries, but it’s pretty low,” Miller said.
Canada is just shy of 1,600 pending claims for refugees from Syria as of September 30.
According to the Associated Press, Germany has more than 47,000 refugee claims.
Since 2015, more than 100,000 Syrian refugees have been resettled in Canada.
The plight of the Syrian people fleeing Assad’s brutal repression It became part of the 2015 federal election campaign discourse After the sighting of a three-year-old Syrian baby in Canada Alan Kurdi‘s drowned body Canadians fell face down on a Turkish coast.
Relatives of the Kurds who fled from Syria and were protected by their families B.C They were able to come to Canada in December 2015.
A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told Global News that they cannot predict what future policy changes might be.
“We are actively monitoring the situation and cannot speculate on future policy decisions. We will also not comment on decisions made by other countries,” the statement said.
The statement added that resettled Syrian refugees came to Canada as permanent residents.
In Canada, asylum claims are heard by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB), an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal.
Marwa Khobieh, executive director of the Syrian Canadian Foundation, said that while Syrians feel “great joy” at the fall of the Assad regime, the refugee crisis is far from over.
Get the latest National news
Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you as they happen, for news affecting Canada and around the world.
“I am deeply disturbed and disappointed by these reports of how some countries are stopping or suspending (claims of) asylum seekers. Conditions in Syria remain dangerous for most refugees to return. Basic services, basic infrastructure are still missing,” he told Global News.
Gauri Sreenivasan, executive director of the Canadian Refugee Council, said Canada’s response over the past few days has been “excellent.”
“I am very pleased to see that the Canadian government is in no rush to announce any policy changes. I think what is needed here is continuous observation,” he said.
“Syrians want to visit, but not yet move”
Khobieh said that despite the joy they feel, members of the Syrian diaspora are worried about family members returning home, especially those who were political prisoners under the Assad regime.
“Relatives or relatives of almost every Syrian family have been detained. Most of them are innocent. They have not committed any crime. Most of them were at the wrong place at a checkpoint and disappeared for years,” he said, adding that many find out if their loved ones are alive and released by the police by sharing details on social media or community groups. rebels.
Khobieh said he hopes to visit his old neighborhood around Damascus soon, but for many Syrians, returning is still a tall order.
“A lot of people want to visit. But I think it’s too early to move and leave Canada,” he said.
While the rebel coalition is made up of several factions, the group believed to be leading the attack inside Syria is Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, or HTS.
The Islamist group has sought to distance itself from the previously al-Qaeda-linked HTS terror group, which is listed as a terrorist organization in Canada and the United States, and has pledged protection to Syrian minorities such as Christians and Alawites.
Evren Altinkash, assistant professor at the University of Guelph, said Canada should monitor the situation carefully.
“If the war continues, there will be more refugees from Syria, especially the Shiite groups, Alevi groups and Druze, Christians and Kurds,” he said.
“I believe that Canada needs to consider all possible assistance for these people because I expect another increase very soon.”
“Policy must focus on providing refuge to those fleeing violence and instability, while contributing to international efforts to stabilize and hopefully rebuild Syria,” Kobieh said.
The Canadian Refugee Council also cautions Canadian politicians against politicizing the issue.
“We really encourage politicians to be very careful with their rhetoric, not to mislead the public and to recognize the strong support (for Syrian refugees among Canadians),” Sreenivasan said.
Germany opened its doors wide to a surge of asylum seekers in 2015 at the height of Syria’s civil war, and is now home to Europe’s largest community of around one million Syrians.
Berlin’s Interior Ministry said on Monday that asylum requests will not be considered until political processes in Syria are clarified. The British Ministry of Home Affairs, stating that it assessed the situation, also suspended decisions on asylum claims.
According to the Refugee Council, 20,319 Syrian refugees were resettled in the country between March 2014 and February 2021 under the British government’s programme.
Other countries, including Norway, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands, have also announced the suspension of Syrian demands. France said it hoped to announce a similar decision soon.
In its statement, the Italian government said it would continue its diplomatic presence in Damascus and expressed “deep gratitude” to the embassy staff there.
– With files from Canadian Press and Reuters
English