The Complexities
There are numerous factors that contribute to the reasons as to why the Syrian crisis is such a complex issue and why resolutions have not yet been found. For one, the civil war that started in Syria has broadened its horizons as the outbreak invited several other nations to join in on the act. It would be far too difficult to intervene at this point in time and as long as the war continues, the dreams of returning home for many Syrians are not likely to become a reality anytime soon. Additionally, as previously mentioned, factors like prejudice thoughts and the fear of expending limited resources play a major role in the type of treatment refugees receive when seeking asylum. Unfortunately, this is the case in several countries and that is why, I believe, some of the more economically stable nations, like Canada and the United States, need to put greater efforts forth in welcoming refugees by adopting better principals and action plans to show our support. We are very lucky here in Canada to have everything we have, living in such a resourceful nation, and we need to learn how to fully optimize our assets by using them for the benefit for those in need rather than our own.
Canada's Role
Canada is held up as a model to the world for our warm welcome to Syrian refugees. People marvel that Canadians are clamouring to sponsor refugee families. A great deal of our population complain not that we’re taking in too many refugees, but that we’re taking in too few. We are good people and we are one of the most accepting nations for refugees, however, it is still too soon for self-congratulation. Although we pride ourselves on our generosity, we still see thousands of refugees being refused access to Canada. According to data supplied by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, out of the 15,196 in-country refugee applicants processed in 2016, a total of 4,970 were rejected for various reasons, such as applicants not being considered in enough danger in their home country. On January 28, Justin Trudeau tweeted, “To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength.”(Gordon, 2017) Tweets like these will obviously resonate among asylum-seekers and provide them with hope that there is a place where they are guaranteed safety. However, the hard reality is that we have quotas on how many asylum-seekers and immigrants we choose to let in each year. Moreover, on top of irresponsibly encouraging vast swaths of people to try their luck at residency, Trudeau's words risk inciting Canadians who are already feeling anxious about letting in too many newcomers. A recent Reuters poll found that only 36 per cent of Canadians believe that those illegally crossing the border should be able to remain in Canada. Of course, I am not implying that Canada’s immigration system is one of bad faith, however, we do have a very strict one and we should not be giving off the perception that Canada’s doors are wide open when in reality, this is not the case. Canada is one of the leading countries in terms of refugee treatment and acceptance and we have set out goals to take in 40,000 refugees within the total target number of 300,000 new immigrants in 2017. These numbers look very promising and we are definitely on the right track but there is always room for improvement and we must strive to always do better.
