Canadian universities are creating funds to help refugees with tuition and living costs as they resettle in Canada

Spencer Van Dyk
Canadian University Press

Political party positions on how to handle the Syrian refugee crisis may have become a prominent election issue, but universities across the country are making their stances known by supporting refugees and bringing some to Canada to study.

Prime Minister designate Justin Trudeau said his government will immediately bring in 25,000 refugees by the end of the year.

“If processing refugees improves significantly, that will make it much easier for us to make our targets,” said Chris Eaton, executive director of the World University Service of Canada (WUSC).

The WUSC is a Canadian non-profit organization focused on international development that has been providing access to Canadian post-secondary institutions for refugees for more than 35 years through its unique Student Refugee Program.

Carleton University president Roseann O’Reilly Runte announced the university plans to bring in a third refugee, in addition to the usual two, through its partnership with the WUSC.

Many other universities are participating in efforts similar to those of Carleton. The University of Alberta announced a President’s Award for Refugees and Displaced Persons, which will fund both the tuition and living costs of up to 10 Syrian students. York University, Ryerson University, and the University of Toronto partnered with Lifeline Syria in order to fund the private sponsorship of Syrian refugees hoping to resettle in Toronto. Lifeline Syria recruits and trains sponsors on how to bring in refugees.

In an e-mail to the Carleton community, O’Reilly Runte asked for funding to support the additional student. She said the university has been a partner of the WUSC for several decades, and was the first to join its refugee-sponsorship program. She added the funds are derived from both the university and a student levy approved by vote by the student body. The new student’s fees will amount to $20,000, and O’Reilly personally contributed $2,000.

“When the current crisis arose, the WUSC student committee and a number of faculty and staff asked if we could augment the current number of two,” she wrote in an e-mail to the Canadian University Press. “The university and the students raised sufficient funds to add a third refugee and WUSC informed us that this could likely happen in January.”

Eaton said it has been heartening to see the response to the refugee crisis, and there has been a “significant” increase in the number of post-secondary institutions partnering with and participating in its refugee resettlement program.

Michelle Manks, who is responsible for the Student Refugee Program at the WUSC, said there are typically 65 institutions that partner with the organization in various capacities. She said this year there have been 10 additional institutions that have become partners, and that existing partners made additional commitments.

Eaton said post-secondary institutions make for successful integration, because refugee students become “grounded in Canadian society.”

“They develop the networks, the skills, and the educational base that makes for transition into not only successful employment, but successful participation, within society as a whole,” he said.

Eaton added the increased interest in the program means the WUSC could possibly bring in almost double the number of refugees next year, approximately 150 from this year’s 85.