Resettlement of southeast Asian refugees (1979-1981)

Interview with Brian Bell, Chief of Policy, Settlement Services, EIC (1979-1981)

“[I]t was the people from top to bottom, and it was the times. The department had gone from … between the 60s to the 90s … from Manpower and Immigration with a very strong employment orientation, to the 80s where there was a real recognition of the importance of these humanitarian sort of aspects to the program.“

– Brian Bell

Brian Bell was the Chief of Policy, Settlement Programs, at Employment and Immigration Canada during the largest refugee resettlement program that Canada had ever undertaken. He recently gave gave a brief interview about his role and how the department responded to the crisis.

Further information about how one community in Canada responded to the crisis can be found in a 1985 article by Kae Elgie and Hulene Montgomery, a copy of which can be found on the Hearts of Freedom website.