Canada’s policies toward people fleeing clash and persecution worsened under Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Will the country learn from its mistakes?
The death of the Syrian Kurdi family on Wednesday – and the terrible image of three-year-old Alan washed up on a Turkish beach – has provoked international outrage at Canadas obvious indifference toward refugees. The high cost of asylum applications,government disengagement from the asylum process and biases in the granting of asylum means that many refugees never reach Canada’s shores – and some die tragically as a result.
In an interview with a National Post reporter this week, the childrens aunt, and Teema Kurdi,revealed that the family’s application to join her in Vancouver had been rejected by Canadian Immigration authorities, thus prompting the fatal sea journey.
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Source: theguardian.com