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NDP MPs Urge Action to Reunite Family Members of Sudanese Canadians
6-26-2024
Sudan has been at war since April 2023, when clashes broke out between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, crushing a planned transition to a civilian government.
The UN says 8.5 million people inside the country have been displaced since the fighting began — including refugees from other countries that had been living in Sudan — and about half the population of 49 million people is in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in what the United Nations calls the largest internal displacement crisis in the world.
Canada evacuated more than 400 Canadians and permanent residents from Sudan in the early weeks of the conflict this spring, and has offered other temporary immigration measures for Sudanese nationals already in Canada or who are seeking to flee the violence.
By December 2023The Canadian government had allocated over $165 million in humanitarian aid in response to the conflict.
In December last year, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced the launch of a family based permanent residency pathway for those affected in Sudan. The one-year program is open to the children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents or siblings of Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Each application can include one person and their immediate family members.
Guidelines for the program were posted on Feb. 23, 2024. They include minimum levels of income and/or savings required to act as an anchor for other people coming to the country.
The situation has deteriorated rapidly since the war began. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, the war has displaced nine million people inside Sudan — more displaced people than any other country in the world, including Syria and Ukraine — and another 1.7 million people have had to flee the country.
Meanwhile, Canada’s new permanent residency pathway has a cap of 3,250 applications.
On April 9, a press conference was held by NDP MPs Blake Desjarlais, Heather McPherson, and Jenny Kwan, calling for urgent action from the Canadian government to reunite Sudanese Canadians with their family members amidst the escalating crisis in Sudan. The MPs highlighted the severe humanitarian situation, with millions of people, including children, facing starvation and displacement due to the ongoing conflict.
Blake Desjarlais: “Canada must play a role in ensuring that those seeking reunification with their loved ones, like the members behind me, including my friend Enam whose mother is trapped in Sudan, get to safety here in Canada. It’s heartbreaking to know that millions of children are acutely malnourished and on the brink of starvation.”
Desjarlais emphasized Canada’s historical role as a haven for those fleeing conflict and called for the nation to uphold its principles of compassion and empathy. He stressed the importance of encouraging family reunification to dismantle the effects of intergenerational trauma.
Enam Muhammadin’s Story: Enam Muhammadin, a Sudanese Canadian, shared her personal experience of fleeing the war in Darfur and her struggle to bring her mother to Canada due to stringent immigration requirements. “I try to help my mother to come into Canada by sponsoring her, but the requirements by IRCC are beyond my capacity. I am a mother of four children and cannot give up my children to sponsor my mom or let my mother die in the war.”
Muhammadin appealed to the Canadian government to reduce barriers and increase humanitarian aid for Sudanese people. She highlighted the dire conditions in Sudan, where children are dying every minute due to hunger and lack of access to medication.
Jenny Kwan: Criticizing the Liberal government’s slow response and bureaucratic obstacles in the special immigration measures for Sudan, Kwan stated, “It took the minister 10 months to come up with this immigration special measure, and at best, it will be the end of the year before Sudanese will be able to come to Canada. People will not survive that long.”
Kwan urged the government to expedite the immigration process and match the support given to Ukrainian refugees. She pointed out the inequities within the immigration system and called for equal treatment for other conflict-affected countries, including Sudan, Gaza, and Afghanistan.
Heather McPherson: McPherson echoed the need for urgent action, highlighting the lack of a government statement on Sudan since June of the previous year. “The government of Canada could do much more to alleviate the suffering of Sudanese and Sudanese Canadian people today. We need to see concrete steps like sanctioning the warlords causing such suffering and ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches those in need.”
McPherson called on the government to implement their promises to Sudanese Canadians and take immediate, concrete actions to address the crisis.
The press conference concluded with a call to action for Canadians to contact their Members of Parliament and push for solutions to assist Sudanese Canadians and their families. The MPs emphasized that Canada has a moral obligation to support those suffering from conflicts globally and to uphold its reputation as a compassionate and welcoming nation.
For more information and to support the cause, contact your local MP and advocate for increased humanitarian aid and expedited immigration processes for Sudanese Canadians.
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