This April 4th reach out to your community about refugee rights.  Here you’ll find all you need to speak out about refugee rights this Refugee Rights Day.  This includes suggestions and materials to alert the Canadian public, members of the media and politicians to advances made in the protection of refugee rights as a result of the Singh decision, as well as to threats to those rights.

Some of the events taking place across Canada to mark Refugee Rights Day in 2009: in Toronto: For more information in Montreal: For more information in Charlottetown: For more information in Edmonton: For more information in Quebec City: For more information in Joliette : For more information

April 4, 1985 was a milestone for refugee rights in Canada.  On that day, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the right of refugee claimants in Canada to life, liberty and security of the person, and that claimants are therefore entitled to an oral hearing, in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice and international law.  This ruling has become known as the ‘Singh decision’ in recognition of Harnhajan Singh, Sadhu Singh Thandi, Paramjit Singh Mann, Kewal Singh, Charanjit Singh Gill, Indrani and Satnam Singh who brought their cases to the Court.

Please see our brochure on Refugee Rights Day and on what the Singh decision means for refugees in Canada.

In 2009, the CCR invites you to use Refugee Rights Day to mark the 40th anniversary of the Refugee Convention in Canada using the theme ‘Recognizing success, Acting for change’.  Forty years ago, in June 1969, Canada signed the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (the Refugee Convention).

Canadians can be proud of many accomplishments to protect refugees over the past 40 years, but there is still a lot to do.

For highlights of past successes and suggested actions, see 40th Anniversary of Canada signing the Refugee Convention, two-page fact sheet, March 2009 (to order copies: Publications order form).

Recognize successes and act for change this April 4th!

		Take action:	For more information:
	Canada must sign the Statelessness Convention	Write to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to ask that Canada sign the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons
	Canada must give refugee claimants the right of appeal	Meet with your Member of Parliament.  Ask him/her to vote in favour of Bill C-291 to implement the Refugee Appeal Division in Canada Write to your Member of Parliament: suggested model letter.	CCR campaign on the Refugee Appeal Division
	Canada must reunite refugee families quickly	- Have organizations in your community endorse the Family Reunification Manifesto - Meet with your Member of Parliament about the effects of separation on families in his/her riding - Organize a public screening of ‘The Cost of Separation’	CCR campaign for Speedy Family Reunification
Photo: International Refugee Committee	Canada must resettle more refugees	Write to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration urging that Canada resettle more refugees, such as Palestinians in the Iraq-Syria border region	CCR campaign for increased settlement of Iraqi refugees CCR campaign to resettle refugees from Guantanamo in Canada
	Canada must eliminate the burden on refugees of transportation loans	Write to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration urging them to absorb the costs of transportation loans for refugees Meet with your MP to call for the elimination of the loan burden.	CCR campaign to have Canada eliminate the burden of transportation loans on refugees

 

MATERIALS & DOCUMENTS

Refugee Rights Day Resources – Top 10:
(* = can be ordered from the CCR office)

Top 5 resources for public education and outreach:

1. Refugee Rights Day (pamphlet)
2. *40th Anniversary of Canada signing the Refugee Convention
3. * Justice for Refugees and Immigrants
4. * Facing Facts: Myths and misconceptions about refugees and immigrants in Canada (pamphlet and PowerPoint presentation)
5. * State of Refugees in Canada

Top 5 resources to take action on CCR campaigns:

Refugee Appeal Division

1. Speaking notes for a meeting with your Member of Parliament

Hidden Costs – Campaign to absorb refugee transportation loans

2. Letters to send to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
3. *Hidden Costs video/DVD to share with your Member of Parliament and members of the public

Speedy Family Reunification

4. *The Cost of Separation video/DVD to share with your Member of Parliament and members of the public http://ccrweb.ca/en/content/cost-separation
5. Manifesto on Family Reunification to share with groups in your area (and have them endorse it!)

To order any of the publications marked with (*) from the CCR office, download and fill in the order form.

ACTIVITIES

You can find some suggestions for activities here.

FEEDBACK

If you use materials in this virtual Toolkit, please send your feedback to Colleen French, CCR Communication and Networking Coordinator at cfrench@ccrweb.ca Also, if you have materials or ideas to share, or you carry out Refugee Rights Day activities, please tell us so we can add it here. Thank you!