FINDING REFUGE IN CANADA
narratives of dislocation
Copyright © 2021 George Melnyk and Christina Parker
Published by AU Press, Athabasca University
1200, 10011 – 109 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 3S8
https://doi.org/10.15215/aupress/9781771993012.01
Cover design by Natalie Olsen
Interior design by Sergiy Kozakov
Printed and bound in Canada
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Title: Finding refuge in Canada : narratives of dislocation / edited by George Melnyk and Christina Parker.
Names: Melnyk, George, editor. | Parker, Christina, editor.
Series: Global peace studies series.
Description: Series statement: Global peace studies series | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20200409735 | Canadiana (ebook) 20200409832 | ISBN 9781771993012 (softcover) | ISBN 9781771993029 (PDF) | ISBN 9781771993036 (EPUB) | ISBN 9781771993043 (Kindle)
Subjects: LCSH: Refugees—Canada.
Classification: LCC HV640.4.C3 F56 2021 | DDC 362.870971—dc23
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) for our publishing activities and the assistance provided by the Government of Alberta through the Alberta Media Fund.
Please contact AU Press, Athabasca University at aupress@athabascau.ca for permissions and copyright information.
Acknowledgements
Refugees and Canada: Contemporary Issues and Real Stories
George Melnyk and Christina Parker
PART 1 COMING TO CANADA
1. Once a Refugee, Always a Refugee
George Melnyk
2. The Best Place on Earth
Victor Porter
3. From Scars to Stars
Flora Terah
4. Fleeing The Gambia
Matida Daffeh
5. From LGBTQ+ Activist to Refugee
Boban Stojanović
PART 2 CANADA RESPONDS
6. The Ugandan Asian Expulsion, 1972: A Personal Memoir
Michael Molloy
7. Reflecting on the Role of the Mennonite Central Committee in Advocating for Refugees
William Janzen
8. Operation Lifeline
Howard Adelman
9. Sponsoring a Syrian Refugee Family
Katharine Lake Berz and Julia Holland
10. Finding Welcome off the Refugee Highway
Shelley Campagnola
11. My Experience as a Refugee and Settlement Worker
Eusebio Garcia
PART 3 THE STRUGGLE FOR INCLUSION
12. From Chilean Refugee to Canadian Citizen
Pablo Policzer, with an illustrated account by Adam Policzer and Irene Policzer
13. Floating to the Lure of the Promised Land: Tamil Refugees in Canada
Cyrus Sundar Singh
14. Refugee Children in Canadian Schools: The Role of Teachers in Supporting Integration and Inclusion
Christina Parker
What We Know, What We Hope: An Afterword
George Melnyk and Christina Parker
About the Authors
The editors would like to thank the contributors for their willingness to share their personal stories with the public. Without these stories being made public the history of the refugee experience and those who helped them would have been lessened. We also appreciate the analysts of the refugee system in Canada for their thoughtful research and writing from which we learned so much. We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers of the manuscript for their useful advice on improvements. We hope that in following their comments we enhanced the reading experience, increased accuracy, and provided a balanced perspective on the refugee experience. We are grateful for Athabasca University Press and their support in publishing this book. Notably, Pamela Holway and Karyn Wisselink were instrumental in making this collection a success. We also appreciate the thoughtful and thorough copyediting completed by Peter Midgley. Finally, we thank our spouses, Julia Melnyk and Vinay Shandal, for their patience throughout the process of putting this collection together.
FINDING
REFUGE
IN
CANADA