Canada and the U.S. meet to discuss Refugee Response

[Tennis]

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/07..._10933532.html

WASHINGTON — A Canadian politician offered a positive view of the country's experiences with Syrian refugees during a briefing session Monday in Washington, where the current political climate is far less welcoming of migrants.

Arif Virani shared some observations about his country's experience during a briefing session on Capitol Hill attended by a number of U.S. congressional staffers and moderated by the Washington bureau chief of The Economist magazine.

Virani, the parliamentary secretary for immigration, was asked about a recent cover story in the New York Times about Canada headlined, "Refugees Encounter a Foreign Word: Welcome." The moderator, David Rennie, asked, "Why is Canada so different?"

Virani responded by referring to different factors — including the role of Canadian media in sharing positive stories about the refugees, like those who helped with fundraising in the aftermath of the Alberta forest fires.

He cited the role of Canada's private sponsorship program, which other countries have been studying as a possible model in the midst of a historic migration crisis. Virani said private citizens hoping to sponsor refugees have pressured the Canadian government to open the door, not shut it.

"The response has been extremely overwhelming," he told a panel hosted by the U.S. National Immigration Forum.

"To the point where it might seem a bit odd for people in this room, or in this country, but the criticism we get in Canada about refugee resettlement is, 'Why is it so slow? Why is it not faster? Why are people not coming sooner? Why have you stopped bringing in charter planes?'

"So there are challenges — but the challenges are very different."

Canada and the U.S. have both received a mere fraction of the number of migrants spilling into the Middle East and Europe. However, the political reaction in the neighbouring North American countries has been a study in contrasts.

Canada has welcomed 28,000 refugees so far and expects almost 45,000 by year's end, Virani explained; in the U.S., the Obama administration has been dealing with political blowback over its plan to bring in 10,000.

A recent Nanos survey suggested 68 per cent of Canadians supported or somewhat supported the government's refugee policy. Yet different surveys indicate Canadians were concerned about specifics of the plan — like its speed, its security precautions, and the resources available within communities.

Virani stressed that security is a priority. That's why, he said, Canada conducted its refugee interviews abroad; gathered biometric and biographical information about potential candidates; and plugged the information into databases and shared it with the U.S.

"Because we are not about jeopardizing the security of our own citizens — or jeopardizing the security of our closest, most reliable ally. We take that very seriously," he said.

I hope some good can come from this. Canada is doing its part and it's time for other countries to step it up and follow suit.
I love how Canadians are concerned as to why the speed of refugee resettlement is so slow! I agree! Speed it up!

[Kalis]

I hope some good can come from this. Canada is doing its part and it's time for other countries to step it up and follow suit.
I love how Canadians are concerned as to why the speed of refugee resettlement is so slow! I agree! Speed it up!

Canada is not even in the top 40 nations for refugee assistance on a per head basis, or in the top 25 for total numbers.

[GennGreymane]

Praise our lord and savior Tenn.

[Collegeguy]

Canada is not even in the top 40 nations for refugee assistance on a per head basis, or in the top 25 for total numbers.

So a lot of blowhardness as usual?

[Kalis]

So a lot of blowhardness as usual?

In order to lead all other nations, Canada would need to take in 7,500,000 refugees...they do not even have anywhere near 10% of that figure.

[Tennis]

Canada is not even in the top 40 nations for refugee assistance on a per head basis, or in the top 25 for total numbers.

Per head basis? Why are we using this stat exactly?

[Mayhem]

28.000 refugess sofar and an expected 45.000 more this year? Wow, by the end of the year, they almost meet what austria took in last year alone.

[Kalis]

Per head basis? Why are we using this stat exactly?

I used two stats (refugees in comparison to total population and total numbers of refugees), so whichever way you look at it Canada is by no means a leading nation in helping refugees.

In fact the figures I am using are from mid-2015 and Canada would be even lower now than they were then, as other countries have risen above them since then.

Malta is outdoing Canada and hardly anyone even knows where Malta is.

[Tennis]

I used two stats (refugees in comparison to total population and total numbers of refugees), so whichever way you look at it Canada is by no means a leading nation in helping refugees.

In fact the figures I am using are from mid-2015 and Canada would be even lower now than they were then, as other countries have risen above them since then.

Malta is outdoing Canada and hardly anyone even knows where Malta is.

Why should I care about those stats? Canada is thousands of miles from the conflict zones. Hahaha Malta?? Look how close it is.

[Kalis]

Why should I care about those stats? Canada is thousands of miles from the conflict zones. Hahaha Malta?? Look how close it is.

Canada should pay to fly in 7,500,000 refugees, until they do that they are not doing their bit, let alone in any position to boast about their pathetic response.

Presumably it is because all Canadians hate refugees, otherwise they would have stepped up to the plate by now.

[PC2]

I hope some good can come from this. Canada is doing its part and it's time for other countries to step it up and follow suit.
I love how Canadians are concerned as to why the speed of refugee resettlement is so slow! I agree! Speed it up!

Have you thought about forming a charity? That will be better received than saying other tax payers need to pay more for your idea of getting refugees faster.

[Deleted]

Send the bastards back where they came from and tell them to fight for their country's future.

[Karamaru]

Praise our lord and savior Tenn.

Wel atleast Tony wont have to throw himself into the fire and we can save him.

[monkmastaeq]

yeah fuck this. Keep those worthless refugees out of my country. Give them guns instead and shove them out on the battlefield to take their own fucking country back instead of trying to turn mine shittier than it will be under this bullshit trudeau

Lets have a national vote to see if we want them in or not, I'd bank it'd go overwhelmingly no

[Tennis]

Have you thought about forming a charity? That will be better received than saying other tax payers need to pay more for your idea of getting refugees faster.

Charity? My man go drive through the Bridle Path before you say we can't pay more taxes.

[PC2]

Charity? My man go drive through the Bridle Path before you say we can't pay more taxes.

This Bridle Path shows what exactly? That your programs and infrastructure are all optimized? You could spend the taxes on science research that could eventually help the Middle East long term. As opposed to just migrating some of them, which is just a small band-aid.

[ItachiZaku]

NA is too far away, Euro can keep'em.

[Aeula]

Sure, take them all, you've got the space.

I'm sure it'll be worth having your country go to hell when they go on a raping spree.

[Yvaelle]

Canada has an imminent refugee crisis of our own brewing on our side of the world - if Trump wins we're anticipating millions of displaced liberal-Americans trying to sneak across our borders, to escape persecution.

[Tyrianth]

Canada is not even in the top 40 nations for refugee assistance on a per head basis, or in the top 25 for total numbers.

Canada is 26 for total number of refugees. With the majority of countries ahead of us being countries much larger in population. And higher than countries like Sweden, Norway and Italy which are much, much closer to the current Syrian refugee crisis than Canada is.

For per-capita Canada is 41. It's easy for a country like Malta to look good on a per-capita basis when you only have a population of 445,426.

Either way 26 and 41 out of the 180 countries listed on the wikipedia is pretty much "pulling our weight".