Refugees

An exhibit recently opened at the Canadian Museum of History about this significant movement of refugees to Canada. The exhibit was mounted by the Hearts of Freedom project in which CIHS members Michael Molloy and Peter Dschinsky, have been deeply involved. Visit the Hearts of Freedom site for exhibit information and the dates the exhibit will be…

The Settlement of Indochinese Refugees: A Preliminary Analysis based on Interviews with Officials of the Canada Employment and Immigration Commission This 1981 report by Meyer Burstein, led the late Kirk Bell, then Immigration Director General of Policy at Employment and Immigration Canada, to call Meyer in for a chat. This work was Meyer’s introduction to immigration matters….

A collection of papers from 1987, in English and French, on the adjustinent processes and problems of Southeast Asian refugees in Quebec.

The Settlement of Indochinese Refugees: A Preliminary Analysis based on Interviews with Officials of the Canada Employment and Immigration Commission This 1981 report by Meyer Burstein, led the late Kirk Bell, then Immigration Director General of Policy at Employment and Immigration Canada, to call Meyer in for a chat. This work was Meyer’s introduction to immigration matters….

A UNHCR ID card issued to a refugee who spent some time in the Pulau Bidong refugee camp in Malaysia before coming to Canada.

This article, by W.C. Robinson, explores the ‘Comprehensive Plan of Action for Indochinese Refugees, 1989-1997’. It (CPA) has been hailed as a model of international solidarity and burden-sharing, and criticized as an example of international buck-passing and questionable compromises. In the early years of the Indochinese movement there was an understanding that the reign of…

Running on Empty’, published by McGill-Queen’s University Press, includes texts written in French by officers of the Quebec immigration department and then translated. We are pleased to present these two original versions written by Florent Fortin and by Lucile Horner, both Quebec immigration department officers assigned to the Indochinese refuge camps.

Canadians who came here under the ‘boat people’ movement are now telling their stories. CIHS is partnering with the Southeast Asian Canadian community organizations, Carleton University and others to capture the stories – many of which are now on-line, through the ‘Hearts of Freedom’ project. The project will ensure that the settlement experience of these…

An item from the CBC TV News Archive – a report of a 1979 visit to the Anambas Islands of Indonesia where thousands of Vietnamese refugees found some shelter. Canadian immigration officials worked on these islands as part of Canada’s resettlement efforts.

The latest edition of  ‘Refuge: Canada’s Journal on Refugees’, from York University, contains a review of ‘Running on Empty’.

With the permission of the author, Feng Hou of Statistics Canada, we are pleased to post ‘The Resettlement of Vietnamese Refugees Across Canada Over Three Decades‘.This is one of four comparative resettlement studies done for the United Nations-WIDER. Germany, the UK and the USA were also studied.

Robin Higham’s review of ‘Running on Empty’ is posted here with the kind permission of Mr. Higham as well as that of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers. The review first appeared in the Association’s magazine ‘Bout de Papier’.

The Vietnamese Boat People Memorial Association has appreciatively added to its website select passages from ‘Running on Empty‘. The Association aims “to preserve the historical heritage of the Vietnamese Boat People” through monuments and public education.

CIHS President Michael Molloy , Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Associate Assistant Deputy Minister Dawn Edlund, Naomi Alboim and Doctor Nhung Tran-Davies recently discussed Canada’s and Canadians’ humanitarian tradition. The panel was organized by the Canada School of Public Service which has made this video link accessible. The panel discussed their respective experiences with major refugee movements – Alboim…

CIHS member Erica Usher presents a copy of Running on Empty to IOM Director General, William Swing at IOM HQ in Geneva where Erica is on assignment as Senior Policy Adviser, Global Compact for Migration.