Canada has been shaped by people who came from all over the world to build this country. WOW offers a platform for us to celebrate this history and the future it will help…

Alex Munter, Chair of the OLIP Council and President and CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre
The Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre is so happy to have joined the OLIP Health and Wellbeing Sector Table. It is clear that OLIP cares about immigrants and refugees and…

Wendy Tang, Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre
The WOW seminar on immigrant women’s nutrition and health was a step in the right direction towards closing the gap between academic researchers and service providers.

Josephine Etowa
Associate Professor, School of Nursing, University of Ottawa
The City of Ottawa will continue to play a lead role in the implementation of the Ottawa Immigration Strategy, just as we did in the founding of OLIP.

Steve Desroches
City Councillor and Deputy Mayor of Ottawa
The OLIP Council is committed to leadership.  In only a few years, we have a common vision and priorities, and are up to the task of implementing the Ottawa Immigration Strategy.

Salimatou Diallo
OLIP Council Vice Chair, Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario
I’m really impressed with the level of energy and commitment around the Health and Wellbeing table and look forward to continuing collaboration between OLIP and OPH.

Marcela Tapia
Ottawa Public Health
The work and expertise that OLIP brings to our community is so important as it helps us to build bridges and break down silos.  I look forward to our continued work together. 

Jim Watson, Mayor of Ottawa
OLIP helps to unite and share scarce resources for greater impact by working together in the field of student education.

Walter Piovesan
Associate Director of Education, Ottawa Carleton District School Board
The target beneficiary of the work of OLIP is the whole community. In this short period we have planted together important seeds for Ottawa’s development.  

Dick Stewart
OLIP Council
All the WOW events that I went to were great – WOW does give a sense of a community trying to improve its attraction and retention!

Caroline Andrew
Professor, University of Ottawa

History and Legacy of Refugee Resettlement In Ottawa – A PRIMER

June 30, 2016

Authored by April Carrière.

primer1Canada has made significant contributions to refugee resettlement efforts over the years, especially since the end of World War Two. We have welcomed more than a million refugees who have adopted Canada as their home and made tremendous contributions to Canadian society. As the Honourable John McCallum, Minister for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, recently observed, two Governors General of Canada, Adrienne Clarkson and Michaëlle Jean, arrived in Canada as refugees, as did his colleagues, the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of Democratic Institutions, and the Honourable Ahmed Hussen. These are illustrious examples, but they are joined by many others who have quietly built good lives for themselves and for their descendants in Canada.

Now more than ever, it is of the utmost importance that Canada continues to be a place of refuge. The world is in the midst of a refugee crisis of unprecedented proportions. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are nearly 60 million forcibly displaced people fleeing war, persecution, and danger worldwide. Although most are displaced within their own countries, over 14.4 million fall under the UNHCR mandate as refugees.

This primer is intended to provide basic information on the history and legacy of refugee resettlement in Canada and to highlight Ottawa’s role in these efforts. It contains basic facts about refugees and Canadian refugee policy, a brief timeline of refugee resettlement in Canada, highlights from Ottawa’s history of refugee resettlement, and a myth buster intended to dispel some of the misconceptions about refugees and refugee resettlement history in Canada. Read the full report here.