Melissa Wilson, MPNL Candidate
This paper was written as part of a Master’s course requirement at Carleton University and follows the history of resettlement policies in Canada beginning with the 1970’s Indochinese crisis up to the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis. The following is a summarized version of the paper featured in PhiLab’s blog. The full paper will be under review for publication with another journal.
In the context of crisis and conflict, the responses from actors in society can dramatically impact the nature of a situation. Considering current global conflicts including the war in Ukraine and more recently in light of the Israel-Hamas conflict, the message of this research is crucial as it examines the government and non-state actor’s responses to humanitarian crisis which results in the mass displacement of people fleeing conflict and violence. This paper focuses on responses to the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis, which can serve as a starting point for comparative research to the most recent conflicts and crisis in 2023. Through this case study, this paper seeks to develop understanding of the significant role of NGOs and universities and the powerful role they play in humanitarian crisis response. This piece acts as a pragmatic mobilization of knowledge for non-state actors showcasing examples of what others have done and demonstrating the potential for others to follow their lead. Non-state actors have the opportunity to be a catalyst for change and serve as a model globally in how other institutions should practically respond to humanitarian crises, through practical experiential engagement and advocacy. This piece summarizes the research and outcomes of the following questions: What is the role of Canadian NGOs and universities in responding to humanitarian crises overseas? What is the responsibility of these non-state actors in responding to these crises? To what extent does their involvement take place in a practical way and/or through advocacy?
This research involved an in-depth review of academic and grey literature, including government agency publications, to create a historical narrative of Canada’s resettlement responses. The Syrian refugee crisis response was the largest since the beginning of the private sponsorship of refugee’s program (PSRP) amidst the 1970’s Indochinese crisis. Because of these closely drawn parallels, this research observes the response from non-state actors to the Syrian refugee crisis to demonstrate the ways which other non-state actors can respond to crisis now. The piece is written to include examples of significant responses from non-state actors and highlight the recommendations made by government agencies and organizations who work directly in resettlement services.
The continuously increasing need and exponential rise in the mass displacement of people due to conflict and violence calls for immediate and innovative solutions. The three durable solutions as established by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), include local integration, resettlement and repatriation.[1] Currently, Canada’s PSRP stands out on a global stage.[2] It was developed during the 1970s Indochinese crisis to build resettlement pathway that allows for active involvement of civil society.[3] With the help of the PSRP, Canada was able to resettle 50,000 Indochinese refugees in just eighteen months.[4] However, Canadian Refugee Resettlement policies continue to evolve due to shifting government priorities and increasing bureaucratization which leads to public servants having decreased agency and decision-making authority in refugee cases making swift responses amidst crisis more difficult.[5] Non-state actors are increasingly needed to play a key role in the response to resettlement as acknowledge by Global Affairs Canada and the UNHCR.[6]
The piece begins with an overview of increased bureaucratic process in resettlement policies and notes the high criticism the government receives for its immigration procedures. When refugee applications remain backlogged for years, the Syrian crisis ignited a swift and timely response with expedited applications and promised large intake numbers. The Centre for Public Justice published a report in 2015 detailing their concerns highlighting this backlog of applications from global visa posts which sends a message of “forgotten and neglected” to applicants from other nations, namely Iraqi and Rwandan.[7] It was the PSRP which played a large role in this 2015 response and leads to questions of where the responsibility to respond lies and shows how significant a role non-state actors play. Global Affairs Canada acknowledges NGOs’ unique ability to adopt innovative ideas and producing initiatives which cause effective impact, and their expert opinion is often sought after amidst widely debated topics including immigration and refugee resettlement.[8]
The piece goes on to detail several key organizations which assisted in response to the Syrian refugee crisis including International Operation Migration (IOM) and the Institute of International Education (IIE) having both played a role historically in the movement and protection of people fleeing conflict. In 2011, IIE relocated 100 Syrian scholars and in 2016, IOM helped to resettled 44,800 Syrians in Canada; the largest numbers in Canadian resettlement since the Indochinese crisis.[9] Within Canada the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) remains a key partner in PSRP as sponsor and advocate, successfully lobbying for increased intake of Syrian refugees in 2015.[10] Further, the organization Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GRSI) utilized the PSRP in 2018 bringing almost 100 Syrian families to Canada.[11]
In addition to these examples from NGOs, philanthropic foundations also have shown their unique position as non-state actors with significant funding capabilities. While the wealth generated in foundations is meant for public good, their full potential for social innovation stands to be realized.[12] An example of foundations who are employing innovative funding strategies and partnerships to respond to humanitarian crisis include the Northpine Foundation and the Giustra Foundation.[13] The former employed strategic funding which developed sustainable pathways for refugees resettlement through capacity building and flexible funding[14], while the latter have been long-standing supporters of the PSRP and collaborators with the GRSI, the Canadian government, UNHCR, Open Society Foundation, and the University of Ottawa’s Refugee Hub. Between these two foundations they have successfully helped to settle nearly 180 refugee families by 2016.
Finally, the piece discusses education as having the potential to be the response and the educational institutions as the responders to crisis. Universities founded upon the principles of furthering and advancing education and concerning themselves to be aware of and educate students on the current state of society and global affairs, more than any other institutions have the ability, and responsibility, to respond.[15] One of the largest and most well-known college and university responses is through the organization World University Service of Canada (WUSC). In 1978, WUSC was founded as a student visa program in the effort to combine resettlement with an opportunity for students to access higher education, today supporting over 150 refugee students every year. Since their founding, WUSC assisted 1900 refugees to continue their education in a safe environment.[16] The opportunity for universities to respond does not stop with WUSC. There are numerous examples of students and faculty utilizing the unique landscape and resources of educational institutions to act as a place for convening and building innovative solutions through pragmatic action. This is seen in collaborative efforts of Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), University of Toronto, and York University, building the Lifeline Syria Challenge in 2015 raising $5 million in support for refugee students and was able to sponsor over 400 refugees.[17] Further, TMU students founded The Newcomer Students Association in 2016 to connect the broader community of immigrant and refugee students across universities in Canada.[18] York University’s Centre for Refugee Studies (CRS) began the Syrian Response and Refugee Initiative from 2015-2019, raising funds for international student scholarships in support of the crisis.[19] Finally, the International Students Overcoming War (ISOW) initiative at Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) was designed out of a desire to take action beyond the classroom learning environment and through partnership with community organizations.[20] These instances were not only opportunities to respond to the crisis through innovative ideas and financial mechanisms, but to educate students in ways we can enact change and practically respond to crisis.
The key recommendations in this piece come from key players in this landscape including the UNHCR and WUSC and are built upon the evidence of those who successfully have begun to employ such strategies of response to humanitarian crisis. The recommendations are three-fold: (1) to build new categories for emergency response, (2) calling for increased advocacy efforts, and (3) utilization of innovative solutions fostered by institutions who have the capacity to facilitate such an environment for change through financial solutions and committing to the research of humanitarian crisis.[21]
While resettlement is only one durable solution to the increasingly complex global issue and social injustice, mass displacement, violence, and humanitarian crisis, the call-to-action in this piece goes beyond the stagnancy of “knowledge for the sake of knowledge,” but is designed to mobilize and disseminate knowledge encouraging action in times of crisis.[22] Solutions and steps as previously demonstrated from non-state actors only prove the power and potential for innovation which stands to be fully utilized for the betterment of Canadian society and for ensuring just responses to global injustices. As the global community continues to see an increase in such issues, more than ever is the mobilization of knowledge to pragmatic action necessary. Non-state actors play a strong role in responding, can be catalysts for change and can be advocates and leaders in this area for governments to also begin responding innovatively.
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[1] UNHCR, “UNHCR Resettlement Handbook: Division of International Protection,” UNHCR, 2011; UNCHR, “Durable Solutions and New Displacement,” In 2005 Statistical Yearbook.
[2] Cooperation Canada, “Global affairs Canada CSO Partnership policy – A Brief Guide and a Call for engagement.” Global Affairs Canada, 2021; Bolu Coker, “A Half Welcome: Delays, Limits, and Inequalities in Canadian Refugee Sponsorship,” Citizens for Public Justice, 2017.
[3] Michael Molloy, Peter Duschinsky, Kurt F. Jensen, & Robert J. Shalka, “Running on Empty
Canada and the Indochinese Refugees, 1975-1980 McGill-Queen’s Studies in Ethnic History,” Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2017.
[4] Ibid.
[5]Molloy, Duschinsky, Jensen, & Shalka, “Running on Empty,” 2017; Andriata Chironda, “Narrators, Navigators and Negotiators: Foreign Service Officer Life Stories From Canada’s African Refugee Resettlement Program, 1970 to 1990,” Carleton University, 2019.
[6] Cooperation Canada, “Global affairs Canada CSO Partnership policy,” 2021; UNHCR, “Canada Country Chapters – UNHCR Resettlement Handbook,” UNHCR, 2018.
[7] Coker, “A Half Welcome,” 2017.
[8] Ibid; Cooperation Canada, 2018.
[9] Michael Casasola, “The Indochinese Refugee Movement,” 50. Institute of International Education, “Scholar Rescue Fund,” IIE, 2022; “IOM History,” International Operation Migration, 2022.
[10] CCR, “About the Canadian Council for Refugees,” Canadian Council for Refugees, 2022; CCR, “Brief History of Canada’s Responses to Refugees,” Canadian Council for Refugees, 2022.
[11] “GRSI – Fact Sheet about Community Sponsorship,” Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative, 2022.
[12] “Disaster Philanthropy Playbook: Strengthening Local Humanitarian Leadership Philanthropic Toolkit,” Center for Disaster Philanthropy, 2022; “Roles for Philanthropy in the Humanitarian Sector,” Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, 2017; Daniela Irrera, “Civil Society and humanitarian Action: NGOs Roles in Peace Support Operations,” Perspectives: Review of International Affairs 19 (1): 2011.
[13]Northpine Foundation, “Working together towards a thriving Canada,” Northpine Foundation, 2022; “Canadian Refugee Initiatives: Humanitarian Assistance,” Giustra Foundation, 2023.
[14]HanVoice, “Northpine Foundation invests $200 000 in HanVoice’s historic refugee program,” HanVoice, 2022.
[15]Sara Asalya, “The role of higher education in responding to the global refugee crisis,” Lifeline Afghanistan, 2021.
[16]Global Compact on Refugees, “Student sponsorship program in Canada,” Global Compact on Refugees, 2022; WUSC, “The Canadian Post-Secondary Education community’s response to the refugee crisis,” WUSC, 2016.
[17]Asalya, 2021.
[18]Newcomer Students Association, “Newcomer Students Association,” WordPress, 2022.
[19] “Centre for Refugee Studies,” York University, Accessed February 22, 2023; “Syria Response and Refugee Initiative.” York University, 2019.
[20] “The ISOW Educational Initiative.” ISOW: International Students Overcoming War, 2021.
[21] WUSC, “Critical areas for Global Affairs Canada: Intervention Under Civil Society Partnerships,” WUSC Policy Recommendation, 2015; WUSC. “The Canadian Post-Secondary Education community’s response to the refugee crisis.” WUSC, 2016; Fei Zhou, Na Zhang, & Jian Mou, “Universities as incubators of innovation: the role of a university playfulness climate in teachers’ sustainable teaching innovation,” The International Journal of Management Education 20 (3): 2022; UNHCR. “Global Appeal 2023.” UNHCR: Global Focus, 2023; Rahul Chandran, “It’s Broke, so Fix it: Humanitarian Response in Crisis,” United Nations University: Centre for Policy Research, 2015; Blaise Bayuo, Cristina Chaminade, & Bo Goransson, “Unpacking the role of universities in the emergence, development and impact of social innovations – A systemic review of the literature,” Technological Forecasting and Social Change 155 (5): 2020; Sophie Barnett, “G7/8 Governance of Migration, 1975-2016, ” University of Toronto, 2017.
[22] Zhou, “Universities as incubators of innovation,” 2022.
