Canada needs to help Syrian refugees

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Canadians who work with refugees say it’s time our country did more to help Syrians fleeing for their lives.   And they’re calling on Canadian leaders to get rid of the red tape that makes it difficult to do so.

Three year old Aylan Kurdi and his family’s deaths have opened the worlds eyes to the need for change.

“I feel like we can be doing more. I feel that there’s a lot of rhetoric and hollow talk. We could do more.”

Scott Jones is the Executive Director at Micah House in Hamilton.   It’s a temporary shelter for refugees.   Jones says only a dozen Syrians have walked through these doors in the last 9 years.   He says it’s because the Canadian government won’t let Syrians in without necessary documents.

“People just don’t have this documentation if you’re fleeing for your life. People aren’t thinking before I run in the night I should collect all this evidence and things that are going to be pertinent to my case.”

Jones says Canadians can help by calling their candidates running in the federal election and push for more flexibility.. Germany has brought in 800 000 refugees who don’t have all their paperwork ready.

“They’re sort of bringing everyone in to save their life first and then they’ll kind of sift through that second, where Canada does it the other way around.”

The Canadian council for refugees says Canada took extraordinary measures to evacuate thousands of Kosovar refugees 16 years ago.   It thinks Canada should do the same for Syria.

The Canadian council for refugees says it’s members are trying to organize a nationwide rally September 9th.   The message will be that they welcome Syrians to Canada.