Siksay slams delays

By Dan Hilborn
Published Oct 20, 2004


Canada needs to do more to uphold its commitment to international refugees by reducing the wait times it takes for Canadian citizens and organizations to bring sponsored refugees into the country, says rookie Burnaby-Douglas MP Bill Siksay.

Last Thursday, Siksay asked Citizenship and Immigration Minister Judy Sgro if delays of up to 32 months were acceptable for refugees who have found a sponsor who is willing to be financially responsible for them during their first year in the country.

"This is one of the shining lights in refugee programs in the world," said the rookie NDP MP. "The problem is that it (the delays) leaves very vulnerable refugees in very insecure, violent and often poverty-ridden circumstances overseas. Often, women and children are subject to coercion and sexual violence, and the longer they are there, the more desperate they become."

According to a report released earlier in the day by the Canadian Council for Refugees, the private sponsorship of refugees program has brought more than 180,000 refugees into the country since its inception 25 years ago. Siksay said the program takes in six per cent of all the refugees in the world.

But the CCR report says half of all applications now take more than 18 months to be processed, including 20 per cent that take more than 28 months. The longest wait time for a successful application listed in the report was 48 months.

While the delays may be deadly for the refugees, they are also discouraging many of the program's sponsors, who may begin to look elsewhere to find some way to help the less privileged around the world, Siksay said.

"Delays in processing erode the morale of volunteer sponsors and discourage new sponsors from getting involved," said the CCR report. "They (volunteer organizations) fear their members are turning to more fruitful endeavours."

And Siksay said he was not happy with the the minister's response. "She gave a very innocuous answer that talked about how great Canadians were in helping these refugees," he said. "I'm disappointed. We can't afford to lose this program. We want to keep the commitment for Canadians who are ready, willing and able to do their part in this refugee work."

Siksay also said the program, which guarantees that a Canadian sponsor will be responsible for the financial care of a refugee during their first year in the country, is the main reason why Canada is the only country to ever receive the Nansen medal from the United Nations for its service to refugees. The medal is typically handed out to individuals or organizations.

Siksay, who was former MP Svend Robinson's constituency assistant for almost 20 years, is now the NDP critic for citizenship and immigration, Western Canada diversification and Canadian human rights.