CBC Forum: How do we properly provide for Syrian refugees?
Nearly half of all the Syrian refugees who have arrived in Canada since November are still looking for permanent housing. That pops the question: How do we properly provide for Syrian refugees? Have your say below via CBC Forum.
-
Welcome to CBC Forum, a live, hosted discussion where readers can talk about stories of national interest and the issues that arise from them.
CBC Forum is here to encourage a different kind of conversation. Our aim is to have a thoughtful debate on issues that matter to Canadians and to reflect a diversity of opinion.
Tell us your story. Give us your unique point of view. We will attempt to feature as many voices as possible in our discussion, and we will showcase some posts and stories on other parts of CBCNews.ca.
Thanks for your participation in the discussion. Commenting on the forum is now closed.
-
I'm back with another CBC Forum chat. It is our experiment at encouraging a different kind of conversation on our website. My name is Haydn and I'll be your host this discussion.
-
Our discussion this afternoon is about Syrian refugees in Canada.Nearly half of all the Syrian refugees who have arrived in Canada since November are still looking for permanent housing.The government says it is now focused on ensuring the refugees are properly resettled into their new communities. That prompts the question of what Canada needs to do to ensure the refugees are properly provided for?You can read about today's update from the government on resettling refugees below.
Nearly half of Syrian refugees have not found permanent housingNearly half of all the Syrian refugees who have arrived in Canada since Nov. 4 are still looking for permanent housing, members of Parliament heard today from the minister in charge of overseeing the resettlement of thousands of refugees in a period of four months. -
So I'd like to ask you...
- How do we properly provide for Syrian refugees?
- What do the refugees need to ensure a smooth integration?
I hope you will join the discussion! -
We can provide for them by ending the war. They don't want to be here. They just want to live in peace in their own country. -
why are we worrying about properly provide for Syrian refugees? We don't properly provide for Canadians! I guess with Justin Canadians don't matter
-
We are caring for them properly. Temp housing for a few weeks or months isn't a hardship, and compared to what they are coming from is more than adequate. People seem to be critical of it based on some notion that moving families is some kind of instant process. Its not an app, it takes time.
-
I appreciate the government’s efforts. There should be a great level of coordination between the government, Arab community, Armenian churches and mosques. In the meantime, the refugees should start searching for any job, even at McDonald or Tim Horton, and start establishing themselves.
-
Please stop with the "either/or" arguments. We are capable of helping Canadians, both "old" and new. No one in Canada is suffering because of the refugee assistance.
-
Maybe not from them per say, but we are suffering. I suffer every day. But as long as a refugee gets looked after, that's fine I guess. -
Really? How do we properly provide for our own people first? People are tired of hearing about the free housing, food when our own can't afford either. Enough already. windsorstar.com -
off the post you would be wrong
the money that JR spend on bring the Refugees could have taken thousands of homeless off the streets and more -
So I'd like to ask you all a question
How do you expect Canadians to except the Syrian refugees into this country with open arms when they wont stand up and defend there own country and the government of this country does more for Syrian refugees than its
own people -
First step, stop treating the as Syrian. Treat them as Canadians and then provide for Canadians. There are some of us who are inches from homelessness and no one cares, least of all the government.
-
This current government has used the refugees from Syria as a show, and nothing more. What about the ongoing strife due to Boko Haram? The plight of the Kurds? How about ...pick a place... in Sub-Saharan Africa? Libyans? It's all for show...as usual. But, we care for them by not blaming them for our own bumbling government's clueless behaviour and Oprah-Winfrey-Style campaigning. They are people too... and probably far better human beings than PM Butts and Co.
-
-
I have no problem with the refugees, they are only doing what any of us would do. What myself and millions of Canadians have a problem with is the goverment putting foreigners ahead of Canadians. Free homes and free food free clothes. While homeless Canadians freeze to death or starve to dearh on the street. The media fueling the fire doesnt help either. Reporters cant wait to tell everybody how syrians are getting all this special treatment. It is only a matter of time that the hate crimes begin if these ill feelings keep growing like they are.
-
No question that Canada is a country of welcoming and was expentionally improved from its immigration policy of the past. The issue however arises from where 20-30 years ago immigrants had to support themselves, upon arrival in Canada. They were responsible for their own housing, food, clothing, and finding work. It is that resilience and perseverance that meant these new Canadain would improve Canada. With this new immigration strategy comes the sense of entitlement. Just a few weeks ago there was a story of unhappy refugees, because they had "stayed too long" in w nice hotel. This new "entitlement" that immigrants are bringing will not help Canada become a better country .
-
Its true, nobody in canada is suffering because of refugees. But the fact that so much money has been spent on these refugees instead of the less fortunate and poverty stricken in our country. That is what has so many people angry. These people are being given free housing and food and clothes, and there are countless canadians that could use the very same thing but are allowed to starve and live on the streets instead. I am not angry at the refugees. They are only doing what anybody would do in thier situation. The goverment should have never agreed to it. -
Thanks for your comments so far. Please try to keep them on the topic of Syrian refugees.
-
I'm glad to help refugees. But there's no need to overload our capacity to handle them. I understand that a campaign promise is important to the Liberals, especially in light of the ones they can't keep. But slow down. When the housing is full, wait until there are new vacancies. One day, politics will be less important than people. And yes, Syria is just one of many places with valid refugees. But, politically it's the best bang for the buck, even though there are others in far greater need.
-
Everything given to the Syrian refugees (waiving of transportation loans, child benefits, start-up costs, hotels, meal allowances) is being done on borrowed money. We are in a current account deficit position. This means that the government is borrowing money on behalf of Canadians to take care of these people. This makes no sense to me. Would you do that with your money if you had the option?
-
A lot of commentaries seem to forget that somewhere back in time YOUR ancestors were given "something for nothing" to come here. Maybe it was free farm land. Or a guaranteed factory job. Maybe your family was even compensated to have kids and here you are. We are a country built on people getting something to arrive. Anyone that denies these people the same thing should be ashamed.
-
We likely should have thought of this before we brought them here. That said I feel private sponsorship is a better way to make sure they have the proper resources to adapt. Many are relatives, some are church groups with a lot of people to assist.
-
I'm sorry, I don't think we help by forcasting rebellion when people find out we are sheltering refugees and giving them handouts. If you were forced to live in sqaulor for year with no hope, how would you feel when people came to save you from it, yet offered no extended support afterward? I understand there are peace makers in the world and their world will be improved in perhaps we can help without being critical.their own country in time.
-
This should have been considered before a single refugee set foot in Canada. All of the fanfare and patting backs must look hilarious now because we are rapidly bringing thousands of people into Canada without an actual working plan. Is there no oversight? Whose responsible for this?
Nearly half of the refugees can't find homes and the Canadian government evicted long term, vulnerable persons from a hotel in Toronto in some desperate bid to make more room. Needs of refugees understated heavily as their costs balloon out of control. Many of them can't speak English or French and waiting lists are over a year long.
Many of them aren't formally educated and most of their experience largely revolves around low-skilled labour. This experience is largely limited to men and men alone.
How much worse could this endeavour get? -
Some commenters are saying the plan is costing us 2 billion - so 57 bucks per Canadian. It seems incredibly selfish to deny people help for that amount of money, particularly since we get the economic benefit from immigration.
-
The question, "How do we properly provide for Syrian refugees?" should be "How do we show Syrian refugees to properly provide for themselves?" There should be no services provided that are not available to every other Canadian.
-
The Liberals made a big deal of doing this right and responsibly. While refugees languish in hotels (near drowning in Saskatoon) and publically yearn to return to a refugee camp the Liberals did not get it right. All partners need to be on the same page.
-
Many of you are commenting that the government has had no plan for the refugees.
Given the current situation... that 23,098 Syrian refugees have already arrived in Canada... what do you think the plan should be? -
Seems the only plan the Liberals had was get elected at all cost. After that things start to unravel. Going to be a gong show from here to the end of their term. -
Final notes to Bob:
www.huffingtonpost.ca
www.thestar.com
No, most of our ancestor's were not given a hotel, food or even access at first... but keep on this narrative that we've somehow begun losing our "compassion". We're far more compassionate than ever before. -
What I can't figure out. Of all the 5 million refugees in the world why Syrian? They look pretty healthy coming off those planes. Not worse than those in Somalia.
-
-
We have already provided them a safe place to live. They should be getting jobs and providing for themselves now, like everybody else is expected to do. Lets "provide" for our own struggling citizens before we give these people any more. They can live poor like millions of working Canadians who have been paying a lifetime of taxes already do. -
Maybe if we can start to dispel all the ignorant myths, more people might open up with solutions.
But short-term, what about empty University dorms until housing opportunities open up? -
I think that we should call a halt to the program until housing can be found for those already here. It will be difficult because of the size of the families. This should never have happened. It was a campaign promise they wanted to keep. It wasn't practical and the costs to Canadians for the vanity project were unwarranted and unnecessary,
-
-
-
Oddly, from previous media reports there was scads of offers of accommodations for the refugees. This definitely wasn't an issue 2 months ago!
Perhaps there should be slow down until McCallum or whoever decides how to settle the current refugees. -
There's been an update to our story from earlier today on refugees in need of permanent homes.
The federal government is actively looking for hotels in Ontario and New Brunswick to temporarily lodge hundreds of Syrian refugees.A new call for tenders went out Tuesday for Ontario hotels in Brampton and Mississauga with some 500 available rooms to temporarily lodge approximately 1,500 refugees per night.
The federal government is also looking for New Brunswick hotels in Oromocto and Fredericton with the capacity to accommodate approximately 450 refugees per night.
I would love to get your thoughts on this.
-
Here is a link to the updated story.
Nearly half of Syrian refugees in need of permanent homes, as Ottawa seeks hotels
The federal government is actively looking for hotels in Ontario and New Brunswick to temporarily lodge hundreds of Syrian refugees who have arrived in Canada since Nov. 4 but are still without permanent housing, according to active calls for tenders posted on a government website. -
no housing? someone else should be in charge.
-
I'm part of a private sponsorship group. So, we are ready and willing to bring in a family. We have housing and a support structure ready. But the red tape means that it will take us months up to a year to get a family here. Streamline the process for private sponsorship and you won't have so many families arriving unsupported.
-
The first problem is that you don't rush over thousands of refugees when we aren't prepared to handle so many. Second, you don't bring them over when over half of Canadians do not want to bring them over. And thirdly. In Alberta alone there are over a 100 000 people who do not have any work and we don't need more people here to take jobs from hard working Canadians -
-
The Liberal Government did not give any thought to what happens after they meet the import quota. This is a truly embarrassing blunder, and it is going to have long term negative consequences. Much of the social instability in Europe is due to immigrants not being culturally or politically integrated, not having access to education or job training. The Liberals are creating the exact same situation here at home.
-
We are going to wrap up the discussion shortly. Thanks for all the comments so far. Any final thoughts?
-
I'm not sure we're really helping these people the way they want to be helped. If I was forced to flee my country and leave my home my dream would be one day to return to my home. It looks like we are accepting these refugees as permanent citizens when really all they want is a safe place until the fighting stops. The way it is going right now we are spreading he population of Syria around the worl. Is this not a genocide of the Syrian culture and country?