Ministers Hussen, Freeland, Joly and Bibeau mark World Refugee Day

Ottawa, June 20, 2017 — The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs; The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and la Francophonie; and The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Multiculturalism today issued the following statement on World Refugee Day:

“Canada is deeply concerned by the unprecedented numbers of children, women and men fleeing conflict and persecution around the world. This is a phenomenon that affects many countries and Canada is committed to doing its part to provide assistance and protection for refugees, and to addressing the root causes of their plight.

“As we mark World Refugee Day, we are reminded that we must all do what we can to help the most vulnerable.

“Canada recently welcomed more than 40,000 Syrian refugees who have been forced to flee their homeland because of the recent war and conflict in the region while continuing to welcome thousands of refugees from ‎other parts of the world.

“Over the years, our country has received thousands of refugees including 37,000 Hungarian refugees in the mid-1950s and the resettlement of nearly 60,000 refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos a generation later, as well as thousands more from Uganda, Kosovo, Bhutan and many other countries. We are committed to maintaining this humanitarian tradition.

“We are fortunate in Canada to have a network of service provider organizations, community groups, and individual Canadians that work tirelessly to help refugees integrate into Canadian society as quickly as possible.

“As we celebrate Canada 150, we must take the opportunity to reflect on our past. There is no doubt that Canada’s strong humanitarian tradition has helped shape this country.

“Canada is a country that values compassion, openness and diversity. These are the principles that we honour on this World Refugee Day.”

For further information (media only), please contact:

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca