Source: CCMW Montreal Chapter

Dear Honourable Minister,

I, along with members of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW), Montreal chapter, are writing to ask you speed up the process of taking in refugees. This is an urgent matter since there are people out there in dire circumstances in need of refuge and fleeing from war in many parts of the world.

We would especially like to bring to your attention the plight of Syrian refugees who are fleeing a civil war in their country as well as attacks from the group ISIS. These are people who are leaving behind their possessions and houses in search of a peaceful life. These are educated people fleeing their country in order for them to eke out a living somewhere else and for their children to have a chance at getting an education that is not constantly being interrupted by warring factions.

In your 2014–2015 Report on Plans and Priorities for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, you mention that Canada plans to welcome between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents to Canada. We understand that they will not all be refugee claimants, but rather immigrants in search of better economic prospects.

In the same report, you also mention that Canada will be able to devote more resources to refugee claimants who truly need Canada’s protection. Canada has underspent its budget for that purpose and has not met its goal of bringing in more refugees who may not even have a future if they do not get refuge somewhere else. Children are always the biggest victims and casualties in such circumstances. Fleeing from wars and a country that you used to call home is not an easy thing to do. It is a traumatic experience for children and adults alike to not know where you are going to end up, to not know when you will be able to eat a decent meal again, to not know if you will have the capacity and the opportunity to earn a living once again.

We hope that Canada plays an exemplary role in accepting and bringing in more refugees and settling them in, such that they are able to work and contribute to the economy of our country as well as provide a decent education for their children. We urge you once again to speed up the process.

We thank you for your attention and hope that you will be compassionate and do the right thing.

Farida Mohamed

President of CCMW Montreal chapter and members of CCMW Montreal chapter

(Email was also sent to Stephen Harper, Justin Trudeau and Tom Mulcair)