The burden of travel loan repayment

On April 4, 2018, MCC joined together with Citizens for Public Justice, the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue, and World Renew to send a letter to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed Hussen, asking the Government to phase out travel loan repayment for refugees.

When refugees are re-settled in Canada, they are often saddled with thousands of dollars in debt from travel expenses, loaned to them by the Canadian government. The repayment of these loans compounds the stress for refugees making a new home in Canada. It forces them to redirect funds that should go for basic necessities, and to look for work too early, thereby inhibiting their ability to take full advantage of settlement services, particularly language training. 

Your participation is important to encourage the federal government to phase out travel loan repayment. Show your support by signing and circulating a petition which will be presented in the House of Commons.

Special funding for UNRWA

On March 15, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development, announced that Canada will be contributing up to $10 million in emergency assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

This announcement comes at a critical moment, since recent drastic U.S. funding cuts make it virtually impossible for UNRWA to carry out its mandate of providing education, health care and other services to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East. A reduction or complete suspension of any UNRWA programs would be devastating for the millions of people who rely on them.

MCC joined with other Canadian churches and church agencies in thanking the government for the announcement. Read the letter.

Open letter on Syria

In February, Rick Cober Bauman and Ron Byler (Executive Directors for MCC Canada and MCC U.S., respectively) participated in an MCC delegation to Syria to visit the partners and view the projects that MCC supports. They heard from partners that the horrors of war in Syria are being perpetrated by armed actors on all sides.

On April 3, they issued an open letter, calling on the governments of Canada and the U.S. to cease all military involvement in Syria, “including troop presence, arms sales and other support for armed actors.” They also called for urgent support for diplomatic efforts to bring an end to war and to provide generous humanitarian assistance.