Ripped From Home: The Global Crisis of Forced Displacement

Global

Recommendation 1

That the Government of Canada make forced displacement a top foreign policy priority and adjust its international efforts to align with this objective. In addition, the Government of Canada must ensure that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and Global Affairs Canada coordinate their efforts globally, regionally and domestically.

Recommendation 2

That the Government of Canada lead with like-minded international partners to advocate for mandatory, proportional contributions from United Nations member states to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), ensuring that both agencies have stable and sufficient funding over the long term.

Recommendation 3

That the Government of Canada increase voluntary, unearmarked contributions to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and encourage other countries to do the same.

Recommendation 4

That the Government of Canada lead like-minded international partners to develop a global plan for rapid progress on protracted situations, including detailed benchmarks for responsibility-sharing and timelines for implementation.

Recommendation 5

That the Government of Canada increase its support to countries that host refugees, including for education and training in refugee camps, and encourage other countries to do the same.

Recommendation 6

That the Government of Canada increase private sponsorship and expand its support for the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative and the Resettlement Diplomacy Network, while advocating for the principle of additionality.

Recommendation 7

That the Government of Canada recognize climate displacement as an existential crisis and take an international leadership role on mitigating and adapting to climate change. This includes fully funding Canada’s climate finance commitments and addressing climate migration through international instruments such as the Convention on Statelessness.

Recommendation 8

That the Government of Canada work with like-minded partners to leverage the role of international institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization, as well as regional institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank to reduce the burden on host countries.

Regional

Recommendation 9

That the Government of Canada take a leadership role in crafting regional responses on displacement issues in the Americas, including through the sharing of infrastructure and resources, increased commitments to protection pathways, and pursuit of a Canada–United States–Mexico regional framework on human smuggling.

Recommendation 10

That the Government of Canada craft public policy exceptions to the Canada–United States Safe Third Country Agreement based on a principled evaluation of how United States refugee law differs from Canadian refugee law, including with respect to gender, disability, and the treatment of unaccompanied minors. In addition, the federal Cabinet must ensure that it meets its legal obligation to continually review the policies, practices and human rights record of the United States to verify its status as a safe third country, and to withdraw from the agreement if doing so is supported by evidence that it is not a safe country for refugees.

National

Recommendation 11

That the Government of Canada expand the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot internationally and that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada continue to innovate new pathways for refugees, bearing in mind the importance of retaining a robust government-assisted refugee program.

Recommendation 12

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada consider introducing new pathways for refugees based on specific human rights considerations, such as for victims of gender-based violence and people displaced by climate change, and develop related training for judges, lawyers and immigration officials.

Recommendation 13

That the Government of Canada examine its differential responses to displacement crises in view of its obligations to equality rights and its commitment to an anti-racism strategy, and that it work to reduce differential outcomes based on race.

Recommendation 14

That the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada address lengthy delays and backlog by accelerating its modernization of technology to increase efficiency while safeguarding the rights of all claimants, including those who face particular vulnerabilities based on their gender, gender identity, race, disability, sexual orientation, age, or other intersecting factors.

Recommendation 15

That the Government of Canada work with its provincial and territorial counterparts to address gaps in refugee services, including health care and other settlement programming.