Several refugees were dismayed at the landing fees and the requirement to start paying back the travel assistance loan within the first year: "Many issues make our adjustment to Canada harder and slower, such as lack of understanding in Canadian income tax system; travel loan money misunderstanding on relationship between Ottawa (Revenue Canada) and newcomers about paying back travel loan" (0451); "Landing fees are not necessary – we have had already too much to pay" (1711); " I have learned that CIC indebts people not only for airfare (with extremely high price) but also collects something called ‘landing fee’. This is disgraceful and should be abolished" (1541). The adult refugees were asked for their opinions regarding payment of settlement services (see Table 7-18). An overwhelming majority of respondents (96%) felt that newcomers should not have to pay for their own ESL/LINC training or their children’s ESL (92%). When we compared responses according to region of origin, some differences appeared in the reasons refugees gave for not wanting to pay for ESL. Although in all cases the majority said that they did not have any money to pay for it, 15% of the Central/South Americans and 10% of the former Yugoslavians stated that it was a Government responsibility, in contrast to the East Asians, none of whom offered this rationale. There was also a significant difference by region regarding payment for their children’s ESL, in that only 82% of people from the Middle East thought that parents should not have to pay as opposed to an average of 92% across all regions. Finally, we asked if it was fair to charge refugees for any other services they had received. Again, nearly all respondents (94%) said that they should not have to pay. When we compared responses to each of the funding questions across the seven cities, we found no significant differences.
The adult refugees were also asked for their opinions regarding the term and amount of financial assistance provided. Across all cities, two thirds of respondents felt that assistance for more than a year was not necessary, but there were significant differences that are perhaps reflective of the employment rates in the respective cities (see Table 7-19). Fully 100% of individuals in Fort McMurray were against extending the current term of support, while 43% of refugees in Edmonton thought that a year was not long enough. When asked what the reasons were behind their responses, there was a significant location difference among those who felt that they needed more support. The residents of Medicine Hat (24%) were more likely to feel a need for more time to adjust than the individuals in other cities. There were also differences in responses according to region of origin (see Table 7-20). Although the majority of respondents from each region indicated that one year of assistance is sufficient, 46% of the people from the Middle East felt that it was not enough time, compared with only 12% of respondents from East Asia.
When asked about the adequacy of the amount of money provided to refugees, the responses were evenly split (44% enough; 44% not enough, 12% no response) (see Table 7-19). There were notable differences across cities, such that the majority in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat felt they had enough support (58% and 59% respectively) whereas people in Red Deer (58%), Fort McMurray (50%) and Edmonton (50%) did not feel they received an adequate amount of money. Analyses by region of origin showed significant differences (see Table 7-20): 66% of Africans and 61% of people from the Middle East felt they could live on the amount provided.
Part of the difficulty for some refugees is tied to rising housing costs, in addition to the general cost of living. As one individual pointed out, " Money given to refugees needs to be increased, as do social services or welfare benefits. The prices for food and living have increased but the money received remains the same or is decreased" (0952). The CIC counsellor in Calgary explained that the living allowances allotted to refugees are tied to the Alberta provincial government social assistance rates. The federal government provides assistance at a rate that is commensurate with provincial rates, and therefore refugee support varies considerably from province to province. With the high level of housing costs in Calgary (see Chapter 4), CIC and settlement agency personnel have reported problems locating suitable housing for newcomers, and have acknowledged that some of the placements have been inappropriate, but unavoidable. From the refugees’ viewpoint, this is difficult to understand. "Iraqis have always been put in bad apartments with broken furniture and bugs and no doors. Other refugees were put in nice clean places. Why is that so?" (2861).
As indicated in Chapter 6, the majority of refugees accessed ESL courses in their first year. In addition, they had help finding housing, initial orientation, and assistance with assorted tasks that involve learning the Canadian systems (e.g., banking, children’s schools, shopping, health care). ESL and other language-related help continued to be the most utilized services beyond the first year.
Although many refugees expressed gratitude to the Canadian government and to the service providers, there were also some areas of dissatisfaction. Some of the problems they cited were idiosyncratic complaints about a specific incident that had happened to them, but in other cases the concerns were more general, particularly the sense that they were not recognized as individuals: "First days in Canada felt was treated like by one standard. Wasn’t treated like individual – all refugees were in same basket. Those helping did not understand our different backgrounds" (0302); "Make programs more flexible; match services to varying needs of refugees; agencies should be more willing to listen to comments and concerns of refugees" (3072). (The perception that there is a "typical" immigrant has been noted in both theory and practice, Joshee, R., Fitzpatrick, A., Lamba, N. & Wilkinson, L. (1997) Integrating diversity: Understanding the immigrant population of Edmonton, Unpublished document prepared for the Edmonton Social Planning Council).
Many refugees felt that they were not given the information they needed, a problem which was compounded by limited language skills: "Most of the information we needed was not accessible to us while we were living in Grande Prairie" (3031); "Canadian services should pay more attention to see if people know how to access services. There is no follow-up on those who are settled here" (0500); "People don’t know where to look for information. It’s very important for the newcomers" (2732); "One translator is not enough. When people don’t know English language, a translator may translate sometimes wrong or misunderstand so that the immigrant or refugee gets wrong information or feels like not treated okay or well compared to others" (1652).
At the end of the interview, respondents were asked whether there were other things about their experiences they wanted to say. Many people mentioned the importance of ESL; some people objected to the current LINC programming because it is restricted to a low proficiency level: "English classes are so simple we do not benefit at that level" (0050); "I only need more English classes. I want to work. I am a hard worker but I need to talk and read very well" (3112). Furthermore, in smaller centres such as Red Deer, where there are fewer individuals who are assessed at the same proficiency level, programmers are obliged to place people of very disparate education backgrounds into a single class, despite differences in their learning. When some people in a class progress very slowly and learn almost exclusively from aural input while others use well-developed learning strategies, supplemented with strong reading skills, most of the students are likely to find the class unsatisfactory, regardless of other factors rates (see Gardner, S., Polyzoi, E., & Rampaul, Y. (1996). Individual variables, literacy history, and ESL progress among Kurdish and Bosnian immigrants. TESL Canada Journal, 14, 1-20). "The immigration authority should think about specific programs for educated professionals, faster, shorter (a year is way too much), with co-op practice in companies" (1432).
It is very clear from the findings noted in Chapter 6 that employment is a top priority for refugees; indeed, it is the factor cited most often by "movers" and settlement providers alike as the reason for leaving the first city to which they were destined (see Chapter 5 for more details). Refugees were least satisfied with job-finding/job-training assistance; they very clearly wanted reform in this area.
The lack of recognition of credentials was an issue that came up repeatedly. The respondents were extremely upset that their skills are not being utilized: "When I applied for jobs here, on my résumé it says I am a doctor. Then nobody will hire me. They tell me to go to the hospital. I had to take it off my résumé that I am a doctor. I wrote that I cleaned the hospital, then the lodge gave me a cleaning job. I feel humiliated and depressed. All my years of education mean nothing at all in this country" (1780); "I would like to put a stress on diploma recognition/credit problem. I can’t believe that experience of some engineer or doctor from my country is that worthless" (1160); "When Canadian government let people come [should take care of] specific needs of people (people with education and experience should work in their profession). It’s frustrating. If that is not possible, then let them stay where they were" (1431); "[I want] to know why it’s so difficult to get certificates approved or qualified. They should provide an exam to test what people know" (0390); "It’s too bad that our people with a high education and big experience don’t get a chance to show what they know. Our diplomas have no value here" (1731); "This is a nice country, but there is a problem with jobs. They don’t trust our foreign certificates and experience. I see no justification for that" (2831).
Service providers from all cities agreed that professionals have a hard time initially. They are not able to reenter their professions quickly, if at all, and yet they generally have high expectations on arrival.
Even when refugees have what are deemed "acceptable" qualifications, they are caught in a bind because they do not have Canadian experience: "Lots of people come with experience and diplomas. Here, everybody asks for Canadian experience – we can’t have that when we come" (1221); "Problem: newcomers search for job – the question of Canadian experience – newcomers cannot have Canadian experience. Experience is experience – it’s the same all over the world" (2671).
Because getting Canadian experience poses problems, many people have opted for volunteerism as a way to obtain references. About one third of all refugees (34%) reported having participated in some form of volunteer activity (see Table 7-21). A number of individuals from Central/South America (19%) and former Yugoslavia (20%) cited work experience as their volunteer work; included in these numbers are people who are participating in formal placement programs organized as part of a training course (either skills training or ESL) in addition to people who have sought out volunteer work experience on their own. In the case of refugees from Middle East, the largest participation rates are in services to other newcomers (48%). Some refugees volunteer in "mainstream" service agencies such as the Red Cross and the Food Bank. At 19%, Central/South Americans are most likely to work in such organizations; this may be a reflection of the fact that as a group, they have been here the longest. Twelve percent of respondents from the Middle East also work in mainstream agencies, compared to 4% of former Yugoslavians. When we asked respondents how much time they devoted to their volunteer activities, about 12% said that they participate more than three times a week.
Some striking differences surface when the volunteerism rate is compared across the seven cities (results not shown in a table). Although the overall average percentage of refugees who volunteer is 34%, the volunteerism rates in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat are significantly higher (55% and 57%, respectively). Lethbridge stands out in that over a third of the refugee volunteers reported that they were participating in work experience, and that they were volunteering more than three times a week, more than double the volunteer rate in other cities. Again, ‘work experience’ may signify a work placement as part of a course, or experience that the refugee has sought out alone. Unfortunately, no distinction was made during the interviews; nevertheless, the interviewers recalled a combination of both types of experience. There were instances in which employers took advantage of the newcomers by capitalizing on free full-time volunteers for months at a time, with the promise that eventually there might be an opening for a paying job. It is impossible to say, however, how many refugees are this category.
The adult refugees were asked what advice they would give to other refugees who are planning to come to Canada. Table 7-22 indicates very consistent responses across region of origin, city of residence and gender. By far the most frequent advice was related to employment and education. Individuals urged other newcomers to "take ESL classes in their country and Canada" (0951); to "get good training for a job like carpenter, welder, baker" (3112).
The category of responses cited most often after education and employment was advice regarding attitudes; a quarter of the comments were of this type: "Be patient, persistent" (3131); "Be a fighter with a positive attitude"(3141); "Forget about the past and all the bad memories" (2632); "Lower your expectations" (0490); "Be optimistic but realistic" (0830). There were also suggestions regarding the use of services (7% of all responses). "Don’t be afraid to ask for help - they are willing to help you" (0433); "Use the help you get from the government but do not misuse it" (2182); "Take every opportunity that has been given to you" (1501). Finally, 6% of the responses urged people to establish relationships with others: "Become a part of the society; network" (3042); "Get rid of television, go outside and meet people" (1042).
The advice that refugees had for Canadians was coded into four main categories: acceptance and understanding; practical assistance; education and employment; and Canadians are doing all they can. There were no significant city differences in terms of the distribution of comments, although Lethbridge was the only city where a majority of respondents asked for increased understanding (see Table 7-23). The East Asians’ responses were significantly different from those of the other groups in two respects: they more often asked for acceptance and understanding (64%) and none of them gave advice relating to education and employment. The following are exemplars from the largest category, acceptance and understanding: "Listen to my stories, accept us for who we are" (1270); "Don’t make refugees feel like they don’t belong" (1283); "Do not see us as rivals" (1362); "Don’t get offended if people speak in their own language" (1022); "Don’t tease people with accents" (1160); "Don’t judge people by what you see on TV" (2410); "Put yourself in our shoes. Life is difficult" (1421); Realize that refugees want to contribute to Canada" (3042); "A real Canadian is and can be more open" (0820).
The comments that dealt with practical assistance included advice such as "Try to volunteer in the host matching program" (1531); "Give refugees a chance with financial support, jobs, English" (2631). The employment and education comments raised some of the same issues that were discussed above, for example, "Don’t ask for Canadian experience from people who have just arrived" (1192). Thirteen percent of the respondents indicated that "Canadians are already helpful – Canadians care about refugees" (0360) and "Canadians are friendly and understanding" (0473).
In sum, the general sentiment in the advice to Canadians was an appeal to be treated fairly and to be given the opportunity to live a normal life in which refugees can fulfil their potential as contributing members of society.