Gov’t urged to act on a plan for Syrian refugees
OTTAWA — A group of former immigration department ministers and senior bureaucrats are appealing to the Conservative government to “think big” and use the expertise of the public service for an action plan to get more Syrian refugees into Canada.
An impressive lineup of 24 former deputy ministers, two Privy Council clerks — the country’s top bureaucrat — and ministers appealed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper in an open letter to announce a plan and the federal government “the key lever for further progress” will implement it.
“As former federal ministers and deputy ministers, appreciative of what it takes to translate political announcements into realities, we urge Mr. Harper to think big and not let the exigencies of the election campaign diminish the call to action,” said the letter, published in The Globe and Mail.
The letter drives home that the implementation of an action plan “with all hands on deck” to fast-track applications is the bureaucracy’s job but it needs the political direction to do it.
The former bureaucrats stressed there is nothing in the caretaker convention, which kicks in during the election campaign to limit the government to routine decisions, to prevent a response to a crisis, especially when there is all-party support.
All the parties have committed to bringing in at least 10,000 Syrian refugees. The ministries of finance, Treasury Board, citizenship and immigration, defence and foreign affairs play key roles in assembling the personnel, such as visa and security officers, and setting aside funding.
After fierce pressure from the provinces, mayors and refugee advocacy groups, the government recently announced that Canada will provide $100 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the millions of Syrians crammed into refugee camps.
A second announcement aimed at removing the barriers and speeding up the process of resettling refugees in Canada is also expected.
The letter noted that the public service has experience in managing the mass movement of refugees from Bosnia, Kosovo, Uganda and Vietnam, and it can determine the numbers Canada can absorb from Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Europe.
“Its goal should be to increase the overall Canadian commitment to numbers of refugees and significantly simplify administrative burdens for both private sponsors and immigration officials,” said the letter.
The letter said Canada can still fast-track refugee applications and provide adequate security clearance. It said security risks could be minimized by focusing on the resettlement of families with children or Canadian connections.
“Nor should Canada’s commitment to continuing the fight against Islamic State stop humanitarian initiatives. Public policy often has multiple objectives and there is no reason the two cannot proceed on parallel tracks.”
Among those who signed the letter are three former ministers responsible for immigration — Ron Atkey, Elinor Caplan and Barbara McDougall — and Jocelyne Bourgon and Mel Cappe former clerks of the Privy Council.