Our province has welcomed 5,000 Syrian refugees so far, with more expected to arrive in the year ahead. Several hundred have already made Vancouver Island their home.
And heartwarmingly, these new members of our community been met with open arms by a host of volunteers, neighbourhood organizations and churches.
We’ve told the story of several good Samaritans, and countless others have gone unrecognized. There has been a magnificent response across our province, and across our country as a whole. And it has not gone unnoticed by Arab countries, which have praised the hospitality we’ve shown.
But a more vexing issue arises. The generosity of ordinary Canadians has not been matched by the federal government.
Refugees who arrive in our country are eligible for one year of financial support from Ottawa. After that, the cost of providing for their needs falls on the provinces.
This hardly seems fair. The refugee program was a federal initiative. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a great show of welcoming the first of these families when they landed in Toronto. But since then, silence.
This might not seem an undue burden. About 36,000 immigrants come to B.C. each year from overseas. Why would the arrival of an additional 5,000 refugees present a serious problem?
But it does. Families who are admitted to Canada through our immigration program are carefully screened. Their language skills might be tested. Their health status is checked — individuals with serious ailments are often refused entry.
However, refugees are not subject to the same limitations. And when it comes to a country like Syria, wracked with war, in which basic health and social services are minimal, and where neither English nor French are commonly spoken, the problems are obvious.
Many of the children who arrived in B.C. have never received dental care. Some have teeth that must be removed. Others require major surgery with years of followup visits.
The federal government pays for the first year of such treatments, then it’s up to the provinces to bear the full cost. But B.C.’s income-assistance plan covers only $1,400 of dental care per child every two years. That’s not nearly enough in many cases.
Some family members might also have chronic ailments that will require medical attention well into the future, at a lifetime cost that could run into the millions. And few of the adults have language skills adequate to gain meaningful employment. It takes two-thirds of refugees five years to find a job.
None of the provincial ministries responsible for providing these services can say yet what the ultimate cost might be. They are coping as best they can with the resources at their disposal.
But there is clearly an imbalance here between the funds committed by Ottawa and the impact on provincial budgets.
B.C.’s minister responsible, Shirley Bond, joined by the other provinces, has asked her federal counterpart, John McCallum, to increase settlement supports for refugees. In particular, additional funding is needed to reduce wait lists for language training.
Of course, there’s a long tradition of provincial ministers heading to Ottawa with begging bowls outstretched. And there is an equally long tradition of their pleas going unheard.
But on this occasion, there is more at stake than usual. This is not just another federal initiative for which Ottawa should be taking its share of responsibility.
There is also Canada’s reputation abroad to consider. The prime minister and his colleagues made a gesture on the international stage that attracted considerable attention and goodwill.
Now is the time to make good on this gesture. That cannot be done by leaving the provinces to sink or swim on their own.
