Are Trudeau’s refugee numbers for 2015 reasonable?

Refugee assistance money is less than you think

Before this year’s election, the Liberal’s political campaign was already stirring the country. Between promises of legalizing of marijuana, new laws on doctor-assisted suicide, and the possible repealing of Bill C-51, anyone would agree that Trudeau had his work cut out for him. Not everyone knew about Trudeau’s ambitious refugee plan, much less the scale of it, but November’s terror attacks in Paris changed that forever. The attacks were picked up by news channels across the world, and social media channels—especially Twitter—gave the world’s audiences the first glimpses of the destruction that ensued that fateful Friday night. By the end of the night, France’s President François Hollande, along with other key heads of state, were in the process of delivering mournful speeches to the masses.

In Canada, Justin Trudeau addressed “our French cousins” and provided words of reassurance, hope, and a promise to Canadians that our government would do anything it could to guarantee us our safety. Unsurprisingly, a cloud of concern began to emerge shortly afterwards, and citizens from all around Canada wondered whether, in light of these recent events, Trudeau’s plan still stood.

According to an interview with Trudeau from CTV News, there are no plans to slow down the refugee plan, which involves the resettlement of 25,000 war refugees. According to Chris Friesen, a member of the Canadian Immigration Settlement Services, most Canadians would agree that while our PM’s intentions are good, the timing poses a safety concern. On that same note, Canada’s former chair of the Immigration Board states that only five per cent of refugees qualify for resettlement in Canada after our current screening programs are completed. Not only that, but lone, desperate refugees are the perfect targets for extremist groups, and the more we hold out on receiving them, the fainter their hopes for a peaceful alternative become. We must remember that the Syrian war has been affecting thousands of people for over four years now, and the Middle East has been a hotbed for violence and political instability for much longer.

Aside from safety concerns, there is the argument that bringing over Trudeau’s current refugee numbers will translate into a larger amount of taxpayer money not being invested in much needed services for Canadians.  A common thread in social media that illustrates this worry speaks to the unfairness with regards to the amount of public aid that Canadian refugees get in contrast to Canadian retirees.

According to the Government of Canada’s website, claiming that retirees receive substantially less public aid than refugees is not only false but also an argument without factual consideration. The initial thread, according to a blog by Canadian Business, reads: “The federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890, as well as $580 in social assistance… Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees!” The problem with this statement is that it mistakenly assumes that the cumulative $2,560 will be given out to refugees each month. The government’s website however clarifies that this sum of money is meant to be a “startup, one-time payment.” Furthermore, the amount of money that refugees will be able to expect is based on provincial social assistance rates.

The reality is that Canada still struggles with a variety of different issues, from an increasing amount of homelessness to the dreadful situation regarding the unresolved murders of indigenous women—however, as Canadians we must not forget that a lot of what makes our country so successful and well received in the global community is directly related to our values of acceptance, tolerance and equality across cultures.

Trudeau’s promise of bringing over 25,000 refugees will absolutely need to be based on our government’s abilities to meet this goal—not just on a campaign-led promise. However, it is important to highlight that these mostly Syrian refugees have been seeking asylum since the war started. We need to demand that our government have the safety of Canadians as their primary objective. As for us, we need to consider that every single human being deserves to have a secure place to live, and that there’s nothing wrong with helping one another when we’re in a time of need.