Just days after Quebec Premier François Legault penned a letter saying Quebec has reached its capacity to welcome refugees, community organizations say his statements are misguided.
They say the government needs to change its approach and reduce bureaucratic hurdles.
Mesmer, an asylum seeker fleeing unimaginable violence from his home country of Mali, is caught in that bureaucracy.
Mesmer is not his real name. Global News is concealing his identity to protect him because he’s received death threats, the reason he rushed out of his country.
“We were doing human rights activities and we were targeted by terrorist groups,” he said.
Mesmer has a master’s degree in law, but because he’s waiting for his diplomas to be recognized by the government, he can only work small jobs in restaurants or cleaning.
His wife is a nurse, but she can’t work because they can’t enrol their two children in daycare.
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He says he is frustrated because his family wants to contribute to Quebec but bureaucracy is keeping them from doing so.
“It’s very hard,” he said.
Mesmer’s story is not uncommon at the Welcome Collective, an NGO helping refugee claimants in precarious situations.
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It’s seen processing delays explode since the start of the pandemic.
Advocate Melissa Claisse says Legault’s letter stating that the province cannot welcome any more asylum seekers is misguided and short-sighted. She says the government needs to change its strategy.
Claisse says four out of five asylum seekers end up receiving permanent resident status, so it’s worth investing in them at the beginning of their process.
“Invest a little bit upfront in French classes, in employment assistance, in daycare access and as a society we are all going to save in the long run,” Claisse says.
Kicha Estimé agrees. She runs La Traverse, a shelter helping asylum seekers in Montreal North.
She says she is overwhelmed with demand because delays in processing claims are way too long.
The immigration system, she says, needs reform.
“We need to find a solution so when they arrive to Canada, they know their rights, what they can do. Be informed and have the resources that explain to them what to do. Accelerate work permits, accelerate family reunification programs,” Estimé said. “We have to do something.”
In the meantime, people like Mesmer and his family are caught in the limbo of delays and paperwork.
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