Refugees Welcome in Canada

Here is the perfect antidote to my earlier post about anti-refugee sentiment in Idaho. The NYT has a truly lovely article Refugees Encounter a Foreign Word: Welcome.

The article discusses how, in Canada, “ordinary citizens.. can band together in small groups and personally resettle — essentially adopt — a refugee family.” And they’re doing just that. So much so that the Canadian government is having trouble keeping up!

“I can’t provide refugees fast enough for all the Canadians who want to sponsor them,” John McCallum, the country’s immigration minister, said in an interview.

The program is not without challenges, as the article points out. But ultimately it’s about the willingness of individuals to stand up and provide real help to those in need. It is, in short, inspiring.

-KitJ