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Comment: Refugees and human security: A crisis for Canada?

Make no mistake, the world is in conflict, and Canada is in the middle. The ascent of social media has shattered our ability to ignore global crises and now shines light on a tragedy partly made by and certainly exacerbated by Canadian policy.

Make no mistake, the world is in conflict, and Canada is in the middle. The ascent of social media has shattered our ability to ignore global crises and now shines light on a tragedy partly made by and certainly exacerbated by Canadian policy.

It is hard to dismiss the shocking images of and outrage over a dead Syrian toddler washed up on the shores of the Mediterranean. Many find the images of the dead boy and the conflict revolting and are starting to ask questions about how such a tragedy happened. The easy answer is war.

The destruction of Syria, the invasion of Iraq and the collapse of Libya are all contributing factors to what has become the world’s worst human-displacement crisis on record. Extreme political violence in the Middle East and North Africa are pushing families into oceans in the hope they can escape the hell they are living in.

But Canada has had a hand in all these conflicts. For example, Canada’s joint expedition in Libya cost the taxpayer $347 million, a mission that has destabilized the country and region. Meanwhile, in Operation IMPACT, Canada is expected to spend more than $350 million in the government’s efforts to use military force to bring stability to Iraq and Syria as coalition forces target the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The slow and feeble efforts of Canadian immigration policy have hindered refugees seeking asylum here.

The responsibility to protect the tens of millions of human beings fleeing real terror requires a radical humanitarian response. Since 2013, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees has documented a four-fold increase in refugees. The dramatic rise is due directly to the conflict in Syria and has resulted in record numbers of asylum-seekers arriving at the borders of Europe.

But this is not a European problem; rather, it is human crisis that must be dealt with through a global response.

Migration is one of the important and difficult issues facing nations and the international community today. Globalization is transforming and accelerating the movement of people seeking new economic opportunities around the world.

The push-pull figures are staggering. The number of labour migrants living outside their country of origin for a minimum of one year constitutes at least an estimated three per cent of the global population.

Conditions at home and lack of economic opportunities (push factors) are coupled with incentives (pull factors) from receiving countries to contribute to skills-based labour or cheap manual labour. This protectionist response taken by receiving states contributes to the insecurity and vulnerability of migrants by limiting access to employment, protection and the social safety nets.

The Arab Spring since 2011 and the conflicts around this have also played a huge part. New regimes in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, and increasing conflict in Iraq and Syria, have put these challenges in perspective.

Humanitarian problems have been exacerbated with regard to displaced people. In Syria, for instance, after several years of conflict, more than 15 million individuals are in need of assistance. As of 2015, Mercy Corp estimates that there are about 7.6 million people who are internally displaced within Syria’s borders, with another four million forced to flee the country.

Many of the people most acutely affected are women and children.

Moreover, the spillover effects have been no less dramatic. More than 1.7 million Syrians, nearly half of them children, are displaced to neighbouring countries, including Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. The demands on these countries, many of which are undergoing their own crises, have created fundamental challenges to human security.

The levels of conflict and instability, coupled with high rates of unemployment and underemployment, particularly among the young, have also helped to push people toward irregular migration.

Canada is a leader in refugee protection. We are one of the best and as of 2013 ranked 11th globally in contributions to the UNHCR, with just over 165,000 refugees and asylum-seekers living in Canada. While Canada spends a noteworthy $73 million per year on refugees, more must and can be done.

Canada is one of the least densely populated countries in the world. Increasing Canada’s refugee intake, making it comply with decent human-security standards, would not only demonstrate our country’s commitment to human security, but could set in motion all types of social and economic benefits for all Canadians.

Canada must do more and act now to take the lead in humanitarian principles.

 

Kenneth Christie is professor and program head of Human Security at Royal Roads University. Robert Hanlon is professor of political science at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops.