If you are considering sponsoring a refugee family, you might want to attend a town hall meeting at the Fogolar Furlan Club in Windsor.
The meeting, hosted by Windsor Law and the Windsor Law Refugee Sponsorship Group of 5, starts at 7pm Tuesday night.
A panel of experts will attempt to answer questions about the backlog for processing private sponsorship applications, what the cap on applications mean for Syrian and Iraqi refugees hoping to reunite with their families and the future of Canada's private sponsorship program.
Panelists include Lina Chaker of the Syrian Canadian Council, Professor Vasanthi Venkatesh from Windsor Law, members of private sponsor groups and Syrians seeking to sponsor family members who remain in danger in the Middle East.
Windsor-Tecumseh MP Cheryl Hardcastle will also be there.
An open letter calling for improvements to the refugee sponsorship program will be available. Addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Ahmed Hussen, it was drafted by Windsor Law students and faculty and has already been signed by almost 700 people.
Associate Professor at Windsor Law, Anneke Smit says Canada has done an incredible job resettling more than 40,000 Syrians so far, but the work continues.
"Sponsor groups are still waiting for the arrival of thousands of refugees they applied to sponsor and vulnerable family members," she says. "Now is the time for important conversations about what we still need to do, and how might do things differently next time."
The event is free and open to the public, and Arabic-English translation will be provided.
