Written by refugees, front-line workers, private sponsors, and civil servants, the narratives collected here confront dominant public discourse about refugee identities and histories and offer insight into the social, political, and cultural challenges and opportunities that refugees experience in Canada.

Millions of people are displaced each year by war, persecution, and famine and the global refugee population continues to grow. Canada has often been regarded as a benevolent country, welcoming refugees from around the globe. However, refugees have encountered varying kinds of reception in Canada. Finding Refuge in Canada: Narratives of Dislocation is a collection of personal narratives about the refugee experience in Canada. It includes critical perspectives from authors from diverse backgrounds, including refugees, advocates, front-line workers, private sponsors, and civil servants.

The narratives collected here confront dominant public discourse about refugee identities and histories and provide deep insight into the social, political, and cultural challenges and opportunities that refugees experience in Canada. Contributors consider Canada’s response to various groups of refugees and how Canadian perspectives on war, conflict, and peace are constructed through the refugee support experience. These individual stories humanize the global refugee crisis and challenge readers to reflect on the transformative potential of more equitable policies and processes.

Contributions by Howard Adelman, Irene Boisier Policzer, Shelley Campagnola, Matida Daffeh, Eusebio Garcia, Julia Holland, Bill Janzen, Katharine Lake Berz, Michael Molloy, Adam Policzer, Pablo Policzer, Victor Porter, Boban Stojanović, Cyrus Sundar Singh, and Flora Terah.

Acknowledgements

Refugees and Canada: Contemporary Issues and Real Stories / George Melnyk and Christina Parker

Part One: 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 Two: 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 Three: 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