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Fall Programs for Hamilton Newcomers
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Canada Welcoming more Afghan Refugees to Safety
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The Government of Canada announced on August 13 that Canada will resettle 20,000 vulnerable Afghans threatened by the Taliban and forced to flee Afghanistan. These numbers are in addition to an ongoing special immigration program for Afghans who were part of Canada’s efforts in Afghanistan (interpreters, drivers, security guards, etc.).
A special program will be introduced to focus particularly on vulnerable groups that are already welcomed to Canada through existing resettlement streams:
- Women leaders
- Human rights defenders
- Journalists
- Persecuted religious minorities
- LGBTI individuals
- Family members of previously resettled interpreters
- Government-supported and privately sponsored refugees
These vulnerable individuals will be offered a permanent home in Canada. The government will be engaging with international and domestic partners, private sponsors and settlement organizations to begin implementing the new program.
Applicants must meet all the usual admissibility requirements, but processing timelines will be expedited.
HIPC will share more information as it becomes available, particularly as it relates to Afghan refugees arriving in Hamilton.
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HIPC Delegates Against Hate
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On August 9, HIPC Chair Lily Lumsden delegated to Hamilton City Council in support of the City’s new Hate Prevention and Mitigation Strategy. Lily noted that hate prevention is essential to HIPC’s work building a welcoming city that includes newcomers, many of whom belong to groups targeted in hate actions. Whereas one in five residents of Hamilton identifies as racialized, close to half of Hamilton’s immigrants are from racialized communities. Among recent immigrants, the figures are higher.
Unfortunately, hate in the forms of racism, discrimination, and Islamophobia are everyday realities for many newcomers to Hamilton. A robust and proactive hate mitigation infrastructure is important in supporting our existing diverse populations. Canada plans to welcome more than 1.2 million immigrants over the next three years, as shown in the above graph. Hamilton will likely see unprecedented numbers of newcomers.
HIPC supports how this project invites Hamilton “to move from a narrow definition of hate as a crime to a broader understanding of hate prevention and mitigation as building blocks to achieving a welcoming, diverse and inclusive city.” Lily closed by promising that HIPC member organizations would support this work through their own institutions.
Council voted unanimously to receive the report and recommendations. City staff working on the Hate Prevention and Mitigation Strategy will return to Council in October with an action plan and timelines for various activities. Some actions will be led by the City, and some will be community-based. Click here to view the agenda item and reports.
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