A Renewed Canadian Welcome centres the perspectives of migrants, refugees, and advocates to explore what Canada’s immigration policies would look like if they were reimagined from a human rights perspective, informed by lived experience.
Canada is a nation forged by immigration, but for many its promise is eclipsed by exclusion and precarity. A Renewed Canadian Welcome brings together the voices of those who experience the system firsthand to ask a question fundamental to public justice: What would our immigration policies look like if they were reimagined from a human rights perspective, informed by lived experience? Blending personal narrative with sharp policy critique, this book unpacks topics such as refugee resettlement, immigration detention, labour exploitation, and family separation. It centres the perspectives of migrants, refugees, and advocates, describing the many barriers they face and detailing how, working together and with allied organizations, they have overcome bureaucratic hurdles, developed strategies, and mobilized policy goals. Contributors offer practical policy proposals that will transform Canada’s immigration program: develop a human rights–based approach that responds to the precarity of all migrants; draw from the expertise of migrants and refugees to design effective policies; and strengthen civil society’s role in immigration policymaking. Born of the work of Citizens for Public Justice, a national research and advocacy organization, A Renewed Canadian Welcome is a must-read for those advocating for human rights in immigration policy. It is a compelling call to reimagine Canada’s approach to immigration as one that affirms dignity, equity, and justice for all
Arvustused
This book could not be more timely or urgent. In a world awash with misunderstanding, where suspicion is often directed at refugees and migrants, this volume shows that the best policies are those grounded in human rights, bringing the wisdom of lived experience to the fore. Alex Neve, author of Universal: Renewing Human Rights in a Fractured World
A citizenship ceremony is a joyous occasion, but for many that joy is complicated by the arduous path to arrival. A Renewed Canadian Welcome is a must-read for anyone involved in policy work and for all who seek a country where everyone is treated with respect, fairness, and justice. Hardish Dhaliwal, former citizenship judge
The need has never been higher to rebuild Canadas public consensus for welcoming refugees and immigrants. This volume illuminates the valuable role of civil society in this work and why the voices of those with lived experience must lead the way to a fairer system for all. Gauri Sreenivasan, co-executive director, Canadian Council for Refugees
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Reimagining Canadas immigration policies through the lens of lived experience.
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction: Walking with Uprooted People Towards Systemic Change 3
Emilio Rodríguez
External Border Walls
1 Equity, Access, and Sustainability: Balancing Priorities in the Private
Sponsorship of Refugees Program in Canada 21
Aziz Orya, Kaylee Perez, and Lynn Weaver
2 Canadas Response to Afghan Refugees: A Framework for Comparative Analysis
38
Dr Patti Tamara Lenard and Shabnam Salehi
3 The CanadaUS Safe Third Country Agreement: Whats at Stake for Churches?
56
Pastor Peter Noteboom
4 A Climate Justice Approach to Canadas Responsibilities to Environmental
Migrants 68
Asvini Uthayakumaran
Internal Border Walls
5 The Roots of Migration: A Comprehensive Approach to the Problem of
Regularization 85
Marco Luciano
6 What Kind of World Do We Want to Live In?: In Conversation with Activists
Martha Ocampo and Cenen Bagon 102
Dani Magsumbol
7 Temporary Foreign Worker Programs for Agriculture in Canada and
Transnational Family Pains 116
Dr Evelyn Encalada Grez
8 Invisible Lives: Uncovering the Plight of Children in Canadas Immigration
Detention System 130
Amina
The Path Towards Justice
9 Religious Groups and Refugee Law and Policy in Canada 145
Dr Geoffrey Cameron
10 Settler Colonialism, Canadian Immigration, and Grassroots Movements for
Change 159
Rena Namago and Dr Ethel Tungohan
Contributors 179
Index 183
Emilio Rodríguez is a Salvadoran-Canadian policy leader with expertise in Canadian immigration and foreign affairs. He lives in Ottawa.
