Krystyna Wojnarowicz argues Canada should be taking in more refugees
“Distance should not equate to indifference.” That’s the argument posed by Krystyna Wojnarowicz, a Master’s student in Political Science, in an article recently published in Embassy magazine.
Wojnarowicz is currently doing a placement with the resettlement division at the Office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Ottawa. She says her experience there prompted her to write the article.
“At the UNHCR we get a lot of e-mails from people inquiring about how they can sponsor refugees” says Wojnarowicz. It was really these e-mails from individuals who felt moved to act in some way, some of whom were previous refugees, that really inspired the article. In the spirit of World Humanitarian Day I wanted to have a conversation about how we can contribute as individuals. While I don’t think private refugee resettlement should be substituting state action, it is an opportunity for us to stand in solidarity with refugees by welcoming them to Canada.
In her essay, Wojnarowicz points out that countries in southern Europe, Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon are dealing with a flood of refugees while Canada is largely unaffected.
The Canadian government has agreed to accept 11,300 Syrian refugees over the next three years, but Wojnarowicz says that’s a drop in the bucket in light of the UNHCR’s estimate that more than one million refugees are in urgent need of resettlement.
Wojnarowicz is pursuing her Master’s degree under the guidance of Assistant Professor of Political Science Martin Geiger. She is also a member of Professor Geiger’s research group, Mobility & Politics, which includes PhD, Master’s and undergraduate students with an interest in migration issues.
To read Krystyna Wojnarowicz’s essay, click here.
