Is Canada shaping a new model for managing the refugee crisis?

Panelists from Government, Academia, Community and Civil Society in Canada alongside EU expert to share insights at public roundtable about managing the Syrian refugee crisis and refugee integration.

Adam Dombovari - 4 January 2016

The Kule Institute for Advanced Study, the European Union Centre of Excellence, and the Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies at the University of Alberta, and the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers are pleased to invite you to the moderated public roundtable Is Canada Shaping a New Model for Managing the Refugee Crisis? Reflections from Government, Academia, Community and Civil Society in Canada, alongside the EU perspective on Wednesday January 20th, 2016 at 4:00 - 6:00pm at the Edmonton Clinic Health Academy (ECHA) L1-190, University of Alberta North Campus.

Panelists:
• Mr. Andre Corbould, Deputy Minister, Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour, and lead on Alberta's refugee file, Government of Alberta
• Ms. Jennifer Fowler, Director, Multicultural Relations, City of Edmonton
• Mr. Erick Ambtman, Executive Director, Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers
• Dr. Agnieszka Weinar, Marie Curie Senior Fellow, European University Institute & Carleton University
• Mr. Ibrahim Cin, Executive Director, Intercultural Dialogue Institute Edmonton
• Dr. Reza Hasmath, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Alberta

Moderator: Dr. Lori Thorlakson, Director, European Union Centre of Excellence, Associate Professor and Jean Monnet Chair, Department of Political Science, University of Alberta

News editors across the country have selected the Syrian refugee crisis and the ensuing Liberal government response as Canada's News Story of the Year for 2015, according to the annual survey of the Canadian Press, while the Cologne sexual assaults and the Vancouver pepper spray incident brought the issue to the headlines again in early 2016. Just as the flows of refugees crossed from one country to the next, the nature and effectiveness of government, community and media responses were being discussed and compared on a daily basis. How do these responses actually look like on the ground, and what lessons can we learn? This roundtable panel will feature experts on Canada, the EU and Turkey, who will share their insights from the perspective of the provincial and civic governments in Canada, local communities in Edmonton, and the EU and Turkey, to discuss approaches to managing the reception and integration of refugees.

The roundtable discussion is intended to inform a general audience and therefore it will be of interest to anyone in the community, government, researchers, and the media. Become a part of the event! Admission is free and open to the public. Audience questions can be submitted in advance to kias@ualberta.ca. A selection of the questions will be incorporated into the Q&A session of the event. More information at http://migrationviews.ualberta.ca/ or https://www.facebook.com/events/628404303963931/ (RSVP is not necessary but can be submitted through the Facebook event page)

Migration Views rapid research response project website

The roundtbale discussion will be the culmination of the Migration Views project, a rapid research response web initiative that collected scholarly, professional and personal reflections on migration and the refugee crisis and published them on the Migration Views website. Over 30 video and paper contributions have come from researchers working on various aspects of migration, citizenship, identity, security and conflict, from ambassadors of countries affected by the crisis and from individuals with personal experiences to share. The website brings these perspectives together to highlight the connections between the rich range of academic work on campus on migration and voices from the broader community.

The many topics people can read or watch videos about on the website include terrorism and refugees, the Syrian refugee crisis and the Canadian federal elections, European immigrants' integration into the labour market, the rise of ISIS, hospitality after the Paris attacks, transitioning immigrant children in schools, the experiences of migrant minors, the EU migration policy response, the role of media coverage, mental health planning for Syrian refugees, and statements from ambassadors to name just a few.

Lori Thorlakson (EUCE) talked about the project on CBC Radio on December 21, 2015, and the Migration Views website was viewed over 2,500 times in its first two weeks from 58 different countries.

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Is Canada shaping a new model for managing the refugee crisis?