From the Catalyst, Summer 2018
The Boat People
By Sharon Bala
McClelland & Stewart, 2018
Reviewed by Deborah Mebude
The Boat People is inspired by the untold stories of hundreds of Tamil refugees who arrived on British Columbia’s coast in 2009 and 2010. It depicts the tension between the slow pace of government protocols and the urgent needs of refugees in search of protection.
By David Burrows
From the Catalyst, Summer 2018
The Religious Social Action Coalition of Newfoundland and Labrador (RSACNL) explores the various ways that people of differing faiths continue the work of advocacy for poverty elimination. Their hope is to establish a living wage for the province, and to advocate for a mechanism to apply a fairness lens upon all provincial legislation.
In 2017, as part of CPJ’s inaugural Give it up for the Earth! climate campaign, people from across the country took action to reduce their personal greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and encourage the federal government to respond boldly to the global climate crisis. This year we did it again! On July 17, a CPJ delegation … Read more
Most refugees arrive in Canada already indebted to the government by $3,000 to $10,000 for the costs incurred in bringing them to this land, including medical exams, travel documents, and plane tickets. They must begin repaying this loan within one year, when they have barely begun to regain their footing.
Here’s our proposal: waive the loan repayment requirement for all refugees.
Hill Times
The time is long overdue for Canada to eliminate poverty.
The federal government is set to launch the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy (CPRS) in the next few weeks. For anti-poverty groups awaiting the release of the country’s first national plan to address poverty, it is a momentous occasion and the result of years of tireless work. For the 4.8 million people living in poverty in Canada, it is a sign of hope a long time in the making.
After nine years of calling for a national anti-poverty plan, we have finally been told that the government’s Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy (CPRS) will be released this year. With this in mind, the Dignity for All (DfA) campaign took advantage of a critical moment. From May 14 to 18, supporters were asked to meet with or call their MPs with a united message: pass legislation that will set us on a course for dignity for all!
Political pressure is mounting as refugee claimants continue to face barriers to protection at the Canada-U.S. border. With our latest report, Reclaiming Protection, CPJ amplifies the call for an overhaul to the Safe Third Country Agreement. As the countdown has begun to the 2019 Federal election, it’s useful to take a deeper look at exactly what the major parties are saying about the issue, and why.
