The organization that helps organize the annual Ride for Refuge frequently asks this question: what moves you?
I regularly receive emails from displaced people around the world who tell me their stories and ask if I can help them or point them to someone who can. They include people living in what seem like utterly hopeless situations: many have fled their home countries but find themselves in a host country that is hostile to their presence; many cannot work or access healthcare or education for themselves or their children, and fear daily for their family’s safety and wellbeing.
Some of them are persecuted Christians, holding out hope that the body of Christ globally will help bring them to safety. Some have children with complex medical needs that urgently require healthcare that is not accessible to them as refugees in many host countries. Some have even been resettled in Canada but are now anxiously trying to bring the rest of their family to safety. One man had been resettled to Canada through the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program (PSRP) but was seeking any way to speed up the applications of his wife and child. Backlogs and drastic cuts to our refugee resettlement levels leave families waiting for years to be reunited. Further, the intake of new applications through the PSRP has been paused since 2024, while sponsors are ready and waiting to welcome more people.
What if this was my family? What if this was your family? I can only imagine the desperation and lasting impact of being separated from my spouse and children and waiting at the mercy of immigration policies and daunting backlogs. If I had simply been born elsewhere in the world, it could be me and my family. Those who are welcomed to our communities—often quite literally—become our neighbours, friends, family, and coworkers. As a follower of Christ, who calls His Church to love our neighbour as we love ourselves and practice hospitality, I cannot help but be compelled to move for my fellow image bearers, who find themselves seeking refuge.
A recent UNHCR report states that of the 41.6 million refugees around the world, 2.4 million need resettlement, while the refugee resettlement levels set by countries are at the lowest they’ve been in the last twenty years. Since 2023, refugee resettlement levels in Canada have been cut by 43 per cent. Further, the support programs like language training and healthcare for refugees who have arrived in Canada have also received significant cuts. Earlier this year, funding cuts to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada also led to the introduction of copayments under the Interim Federal Healthcare Program which have effectively resulted in the denial of care to many refugees for whom the payments are impossible to afford on top of their other basic needs.
As a follower of Christ, who has called His Church to love our neighbour beyond geographical and social borders, I am obliged to work towards a world in which all people can live in safety. An important way to do that is by supporting CPJ’s critical advocacy work of telling our elected officials that we expect them to uphold the value and dignity of all people, including the welcoming of our refugee neighbours. And that work is only possible through funding from members of the public.
This is why I’m participating in Ride for Refuge to support the refugee and migrant rights work of Citizens for Public Justice which advocates for policies that will give families the opportunity to live together in safety. Would you consider joining me?
Join or support Rena’s Ride for Refuge team, who are fundraising for their family-friendly walk and ride in Chatham.Start a team of your own, or join or support our Ride for Refuge in Ottawa on October 3.
