IN THIS ISSUE. News in Review Study Modules. Related CBC Programs

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2 IN THIS ISSUE One Year On: Canada s Syrian Refugee Program (Duration 22:01) A year after settling in Canada, thousands of Syrian refugees are facing a new challenge as their government sponsorship is about to end. It hasn t been easy for every immigrant, and some are struggling. The CBC's Susan Ormiston met the Tonbari family over a year ago in Lebanon as they were fleeing Syria, their war torn homeland. She went back to visit the family at the end of 2016, a year after they moved to Windsor, Ontario. And she speaks to one entrepreneur who put up his own money to help refugees, only to be put on hold by the government. News in Review Study Modules Syrian Refugees: Resettling the Farwans (Oct 2016) Syria s Civil War: The Human Toll (Apr 2016) Syrian Arrivals: Canada Welcomes the First Refugees (Feb 2016) Syrian Refugees: Crisis in Germany (Dec 2015) EU Refugee Crisis (Oct 2015) Syrian Refugees: A Humanitarian Crisis (Mar 2015) Crisis in Syria (Oct 2012) The Bloodbath in Syria (Feb 2012) Related CBC Programs Exile Without End: Palestinians in Lebanon The Journey from Syria to Canada Landed: Six New Lives in Canada Refugee Camp: Simulating the Refugee Experience Refugee Students: The Lucky Ones Swimming to Freedom: The Incredible Story of Yahya Samatar (CBC Radio) Syria: Behind Rebel Lines Syrian Refugee Crisis: Lessons from Vietnamese Boat People Credits News in Review is produced by CBC News Resource Guide Writer: Jennifer Watt Resource Guide Editor: Sean Dolan Host: Michael Serapio Packaging Producer: Marie-Hélène Savard Associate Producer: Agathe Carrier Supervising Manager: Laraine Bone Visit us at our website at curio.ca/newsinreview, where you will find an electronic version of this resource guide and an archive of all previous News in Review seasons. As a companion resource, we recommend that students and teachers access CBC News Online, a multimedia current news source that is found on the CBC s home page at cbc.ca/news/. Closed Captioning News in Review programs are closed captioned for the hearing impaired, for English as a Second Language students, or for situations in which the additional on-screen print component will enhance learning. CBC Learning authorizes the reproduction of material contained in this resource guide for educational purposes. Please identify the source. News in Review is distributed by: CBC Learning Curio.ca, P.O. Box 500, Stn A, Toronto, ON, Canada M5W 1E6 Copyright 2017 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

3 News in Review February 2017 Teacher Resource Guide ONE YEAR ON: Canada s Syrian Refugee Program VIDEO REVIEW Before Viewing Before viewing the video, take a moment and work with a partner to consider your own assumptions and bias on the topic of refugees. What is your definition of a refugee? Should Canada welcome and support refugees? Why do you feel this way? Do you know any refugees? Do you understand why refugees choose to flee their country? What diverse opinions and perspectives have you heard about refugees? How credible, reliable and confident are you in the perspectives you have heard? Viewing 1. How many Syrian refugees did the government promise to admit to Canada? 2. In December 2016, government monthly living allowances for Syrian refugees ended. True False 3. What country did the Tonbari family live in when they first escaped Syria? 4. What are some of the reasons Ibrahim Tonbari gives for wanting to leave Syria? 5. Were all members of the Tonbari family accepted as refugees to Canada? 6. The living allowance for a family of six refugees is $3 600 a month. True False 7. After one year, refugee assistance runs out, forcing families to go on provincial social assistance - which is less money. True False 8. What is the echo effect? News in Review CBC Learning curio.ca/newsinreview 1

4 9. Jim Estill is a Canadian who wants to privately sponsor 50 Syrian refugee families. List two ways he is helping refugees become productive citizens. 10. As of January 2017, the Government of Canada says it still has more than refugee applications to process. True False After Viewing 1. What did you learn about Syrian refugees from this video? Has this learning changed any beliefs or opinions you might have held? Explain. 2. What type of support do you think is crucial for Syrian refugees? How long do you think they should receive this support? Explain your answer. Further inquiry Why are Syrians fleeing their country? In April 2016, a United Nations envoy to Syria claimed that over 400,000 Syrians have died in that nation s civil war. As of December 2016, 4.8 million Syrians have fled their country and 6.3 million people have been displaced internally within Syria. Most of the people who fled had no choice but to move into refugee camps. Some made desperate and arduous journeys across the Mediterranean Sea into Europe. The ongoing violence against civilians has been condemned by the Arab League, the European Union, the United States, Canada, Russia and other countries. Task Search for photos that show Syria and Aleppo before the civil war and contrast them with present-day photos. Here are a few sites that offer these comparative visuals. independent.co.uk/news/world/middle east/aleppo old city photos before after syria civil warassad regime rebels evacuation civilians a html boredpanda.com/before after war photos aleppo syria/ bbc.com/news/world middle east How do these photos make you feel? 2. How do you think the Syrian people feel as they witness and endure the destruction of their nation? 3. Do you think these photos are important in gaining an understanding of the plight of Syrian refugees? News in Review CBC Learning curio.ca/newsinreview 2

5 THE STORY Task One of the relentless myths regarding Syrian refugees is that they are flocking to Canada in huge numbers to take advantage of jobs and government benefits. Read the information below and note how the facts refute the freeloader myth. Who are Syrian refugees? Canada has a long history of welcoming refugees. From 1980 to 2015, over people fleeing war and persecution in various countries came to Canada seeking safety and a new life. In 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada would open its doors to Syrian refugees due to the urgent need to help those fleeing Syria s civil war. As of January 2, 2017, Canada has welcomed Syrian refugees. Of that number, have been assisted by the government while were privately sponsored. The other are considered blended refugees who receive six months of government support and six months of private support. Meanwhile, Syrian refugees are waiting to travel to Canada and refugee resettlement applications still need to be processed. Sponsorships What s the difference between privately sponsored and government-assisted refugees? Privately sponsored refugees are those people who have family in Canada or who have a sponsor group that is willing to subsidize their settlement. Privately sponsored refugees tend to fare better in their new country economically since they have the support of family networks There are three ways Canadians can privately sponsor refugees. The first way is to connect with one of the many Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs). These groups have experience and expertise in resettling newcomers. This is the quickest and easiest way to sponsor a refugee. A second way involves the building of sponsorship partnerships or collectives. Groups of five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents who combine their resources can also sponsor refugees. The third method of private sponsorship is through community sponsors. These can be organizations, associations or corporations that wish to sponsor a refugee. Government-assisted refugees are referred directly to Canada by the United Nations refugee agency because they are the most vulnerable of an already vulnerable group. This group includes single mothers with children, victims of torture Prime Minister Trudeau appointed Ahmed Hussen as the new Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. Hussen came to Canada as a refugee from Somalia when he was 16. He was a lawyer and social activist before running for federal politics. Shortly after being appointed, Hussen told House of Commons reporters, I am extremely proud of our country s history as a place of asylum, a place that opens its doors and hearts to new immigrants and refugees, and I m especially proud today to be the minister in charge of that file. How do you think Hussen s appointment may change Canadian policies? News in Review CBC Learning curio.ca/newsinreview 3

6 suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and physically and mentally disabled people. Most have lived in rural areas and don t speak English or French. What is post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? PTSD happens when a person endures an event of an extreme nature where her/his life has been threatened. The traumatic experience can cause anxiety, nightmares, flashbacks and overall uneasiness. Sometimes the symptoms get worse over time and get in the way of daily living. Not everyone from war torn countries develops PTSD and, with time and support, most people learn to deal with their emotions and personal trauma in a positive way. Canada has long prided itself as a compassionate and humanitarian nation that seeks to help refugees for altruistic reasons. The Syrian cohort includes close to government-assisted refugees. According to Jennifer Hyndman, the director of Refugee Studies at York University, says we have to take the long view when it comes to refugees. She says, This is an investment. Yes, it is costly in the beginning, but we know that over time refugees more than repay the cost of their initial government support. An analysis sponsored by Canada s largest credit union, found that Syrian refugees in British Columbia will generate at least $563 million in local economic activity over the next 20 years. Fariborz Birjandian, CEO of the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society, warns against using money and job numbers as the only indicator of success for refugee resettlement, When you have a family of seven or eight coming to Canada, learning the language, dealing with all the traumas and difficulties they had, my indicators of success are: Are the kids doing well at school? Are they healthy? We shouldn t just be asking: Did the parents get a $12-an-hour job? We need to follow these children to see where they go. That is the investment that pays off. Won t refugees put a strain on the welfare system? Approximately 1.27 million Canadians are entitled to provincial or territorial social assistance. If every newly arrived Syrian refugee collected social assistance, the increase in overall caseload would be 2.8 per cent. According to a recent study by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, approximately 30 per cent of privately sponsored refugees who arrived from 2002 and 2012 needed social assistance during their second year in Canada. By year five, that number dropped to 26 per cent. For governmentassisted refugees the road to being self-sufficient takes longer. By year five, 41 per cent of government-assisted refugees were still collecting social assistance. However, the majority of refugees are keen to repay the kindness of their host country and will seek out ways to repay, sometimes overtaxing their resources. Refugees want to regain their independence and return to normalcy which includes work, education, and connecting with others in the community. Source: Frischolanti, M. (Dec 15, 2016). A milestone looms for Canada s Syrian refugees: Month 13. Maclean s. News in Review CBC Learning curio.ca/newsinreview 4

7 To Consider 1. Why do you think myths, stereotypes and hatred of refugees exists? 2. What do you think would help to eradicate ignorance and hatred directed toward refugees? 3. What action are you willing to take to help promote your own understanding and/or to show support for refugees? 4. Go to the Government of Canada s Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program Sponsorship Agreement Holders. This is a list of all the Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs). Consider the list from your province or territory. What do you notice about the groups that are equipped and willing to support refugees? cic.gc.ca/english/refugees/sponsor/list sponsors.asp News in Review CBC Learning curio.ca/newsinreview 5

8 THE U.S. TRAVEL BAN The Canadian government continues its policy of accepting Syrian refugees. In the United States, however, newly elected President Donald Trump used an executive order to bar citizens from a select group of Muslimmajority countries from entering the U.S. The 90-day temporary ban applied to all refugees and citizens of Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Iran and Iraq. These countries were identified previously by the Obama administration as the seven countries in the world harbouring the most terrorists. Trump also stopped the admission of all refugees to the United States for four months. While Trump supporters saw this move as being tough on terrorism, critics of the ban saw it not only as anti-muslim and anti-refugee, but also as anti-american. At least four states Massachusetts, Virginia, Washington and New York blocked federal authorities from detaining or deporting citizens from those countries who had U.S. visas or green cards or who were refugees. Protests erupted at many international airports and leaders of other countries responded with harsh criticism. What is a presidential executive order? An executive order in the United States is a rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of the government. The order has the force of law. To follow up, search Presidential Executive Order: Definition and Example by lawyer Ashley Dugger for more information. Activity 1. Do you think President Trump s executive order will make the U.S. safer? Research both sides of the argument before coming to a conclusion. 2. Check out recent news regarding President Trump s executive order. It has been challenged as unconstitutional in many states. Has the President prevailed over the courts that have challenged him? Starbucks announced a plan to hire refugees in the next five years, as a response to Trump s travel ban. Immediately following the announcement, Trump supporters called for a boycott of Starbucks on social media. Supporters of Starbucks noted that the company has hired 8, 000 U.S. veterans and their families since Check out Twitter and Instagram to see the opposing points of view on this topic. News in Review CBC Learning curio.ca/newsinreview 6

9 JIM ESTILL, CANADIAN HUMANITARIAN Canadian CEO of the Danby appliance company, Jim Estill, was deeply moved by the plight of Syrian families escaping their nation s civil war. He decided to sponsor more than 200 Syrian refugees or 50 families. It was to cost him $1.5 million. Estill researched Canada s private sponsorship program, which allows private citizens to welcome and settle refugees as long as they can commit to covering the expenses for the first year and to help refugees transition into their new lives. Estill s goal was to have the refugees working and integrating into Canadian society as quickly as possible. He selected 58 families to settle in the Ontario city of Guelph, estimating the cost of supporting each family at $ The worst part of this process, according to Estill, was that he had to choose from a list of hopeful families. Playing God, as he described it, was a very unsettling experience. He said that he favoured certain families, especially families that had relatives in the area. Over 800 volunteers came forward in Guelph to assist these refugee families, providing everything from job training to English-language classes. Each family was partnered with Arabic-speaking and English-speaking mentors who helped with daily tasks like riding public transportation and arranging for a bank account. But Estill remained the driving force behind the settlement of these families. He offered them three months of work experience at Danby along with English language classes twice per week. Surprisingly, over half of the families found jobs and began paying their own rent within their first year in Canada. To this day, Estill maintains a modest attitude about the help he has provided. He says it s no big deal and that he didn t want to grow old and say I stood by and did nothing. Source: Kassam, A. (January 6, 2017). The Canadian who spent C$1.5m to rescue more than 200 Syrian refugees. The Guardian. To Consider 1. Do you think business people who make a lot of money should give back to those less fortunate? Explain your answer. 2. Aside from giving money, in what ways could you help refugees or newcomers in your community? To follow up, invite a community member who helps newcomers in your community to explain their work. 3. Research organizations (e.g. Canadian Council of Refugees, AURA, AKDN, Doctors Without Borders) and individuals who have made positive differences to refugees. Share your research in a creative way with your class. News in Review CBC Learning curio.ca/newsinreview 7