Refugee law expert headlines Queen’s University alumni branch dinner in Montreal

Is there really a “flood of refugees” crossing the Quebec-Vermont border? Does Canada need to clamp down on an influx of illegal migrants? Professor Sharry Aiken encouraged Queen’s grads to take a critical look at these attentiongrabbing headlines and ask some important questions. As the keynote speaker at the Montreal Alumni Branch Dinner on May 15, she separated truth from fiction in her presentation “Refugees at the Border: Queue Jumping or Policy Failure?”

In a Q&A session, Queen’s Alumni Relations staff spoke with Professor Aiken about the topic of her presentation.

What is your critical take on the situation at the Quebec-Vermont border?

It’s a subject that has been in the headlines off and on since President Trump assumed office. People are familiar with the story. They have seen the pictures of migrants coming over the Quebec border from the U.S. with all their belongings in bags. They are being received in Canada with growing alarm from border officials. I would like to clear up some misconceptions that are out there. Refugees are often described as “illegal migrants” and some people say we need to “clamp down” and “fortify the border” in order to stop the flow. My take is there is more to the numbers and there is more than meets the eye.

Do you feel the current political climate in the U.S. – with talk about building a wall and Muslim travel bans – has had an influence in Canada and made refugee law a hot topic here?

Refugee law and policy is always a hot topic in both Canada and the United States. It is seldom far from the headlines. Countries all over the world grapple with the appropriate policy response in the face of an unrelenting flow of people. Right now the number of refugees is higher than it has been since the end of Second World War, and this poses a challenge to receiving states. So, in my view, it is not more of a hot topic today than it was three years ago or 10 years ago.

Are you happy with the way the Trudeau government has been handling the refugee crisis from Syria?

The Trudeau government should be commended for its timely and effective resettlement targets in relation to Syrian refugees. In the face of the escalating crisis in Syria, Canada stepped up and temporarily increased the annual quota for resettling refugees from Syria – both by government and through private sponsorships. But we need to understand that resettlement is a drop in the bucket. We should be working with international partners to press other receiving states around the world to increase their targets and renew their commitments because the crisis in Syria – as well as in other parts of the world – is far from over.

Professor Sharry Aiken, keynote speaker at the Queen’s Montreal Alumni Branch Dinner, sets the record straight on the hot topic of refugee law and policy in Canada and the U.S.