Churches appeal for changes to Canada’s refugee system

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada has joined eight Canadian churches in seeking changes to Canada’s refugee system.

In the letter dated August 13 to Immigration Minister Judy Sgro, MCC executive director Don Peters joined The Presbyterian Church in Canada, Canadian Friends Service Committee, The Anglican Church of Canada, United Church of Canada, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in responding to remarks made by the minister about the use of churches as a place of sanctuary for refugees.

The appeal follows a series of events that began in late July, when Minister Sgro stated publicly that churches should stop providing sanctuary to people who have come to Canada claiming to be refugees and whose claims have been rejected by the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Church leaders responded by stating that while providing sanctuary is not a general solution, it can in certain rare cases represent a faithful response to the calling of a church, albeit at the risk of legal consequences.

In fact, there are fewer than a dozen cases of churches providing sanctuary. In most cases, churches do so only if they become convinced that the rejected refugee claimant faces a risk of death if forced to return to their home country.

The letter stated that the need for sanctuary would be reduced if the Canadian government would set up an appeal system for reviewing the cases of rejected claimants on their merits, rather than only on questions of procedure. In 2001, Parliament approved a merit-based appeal system, but it was never set up.

The church leaders also asked that the government allocate more resources for overseas sponsorship that, in theory, allows churches and other private groups to bring refugees from overseas camps to Canada. In practice, this avenue is seriously hindered by the limited resources.

Mennonite churches in Canada have been remarkably active in helping refugees, starting with the Vietnamese “boat people” late in the 1970s. The churches also operate “welcome centres” in Canada’s major cities.

The church leaders hope to meet with Minister Sgro this fall to discuss refugee concerns. For more information contact Bill Janzen at the MCC Ottawa office, 1-613-238-7224.

—Jonathan Tiessen, MCC Canada