User:Wildunicorns/sandbox

Introduction
Since the Syrian Civil War that began in March of 2011, there have been around 11 million displaced refugees who had to flee from their homes in order to safety elsewhere. 36,393 of these 11 million refugees have been accepted into Canada. This being said of course, the acceptance of Syrian refugees into the country only runs so far, as systemic racism often perpetuates the isolation and unjust treatment of them. Refugees have experienced several acts of violence among the general public and are also not receiving all of the financial government support they might need. Canadians as a whole are given the appearance of being inclusive to all cultures and races, while in reality, individuals who came to seek refuge are being treated unjustly by both Canadian citizens and the federal government.

Public Opinion
After the large influx of Syrian refugees into Canada in recent years, Canadian citizens have had a mix of reactions when it comes to accepting what they see as a new reality. Upon entry into Canada, Syrian refugees have had a number of negative encounters. One incident that shows this involved a news article published by the Chronicle Herald regarding a Nova Scotian school known as Chebucto Heights Elementary. This article spread false allegations surrounding Syrian refugee children at the school, stating that they were physically and verbally assaulting their Canadian classmates in the name of Islam. This is a good example of racial profiling, which the author of the article was shown to do in that they trusted unconfirmed sources to spread information pertaining to Syrians and their Islamic beliefs. The Chronicle Herald was quick to take sides with a Canadian parent and take her word that the children being bullied by the Syrian refugees. There is a lot of stigma around Syrians coming into Canada, as many white people are quick to jump to conclusions around their beliefs. People from the middle-east are often collectively described as terrorists, and articles in the media like the one the Chronicle Herald published play a role in this racist delusion. Turning a false situation like this one into a news spectacle creates even more issues for newcomers into Canada. This plays into the concept of white fragility. White people feel threatened by Syrian refugees due to the misguided idea that they will bring more violence into the country due to their belief systems. Yet, it is in fact violence that Syrians are trying to escape by seeking refuge from a war torn country. Another example is the pepper spray attack that happened in Vancouver, when a group of Syrian refugees were pepper sprayed by an ongoing biker while gathered at the Muslim Association of Canada Centre. Although many Syrians were glad to see all of the attention and apologies they were receiving for this hate crime, it does not take away from the fact that these types of incidents happen all the time within a ‘mosaic’ society that is supposedly full of acceptance and tolerance. Prime Minister Trudeau wrote a tweet mentioning that the attack was an out of the ordinary occurrence that did not reflect Canada’s overall warm welcome of Syrian refugees. However, this is not the case. It is important to consider that acts of racism like this attack are in fact part of an overall systemic issue that allows white people to remain in a position of superiority over racialized groups. These acts should not be looked at as individual, but rather as a small piece of the bigger picture.

How Canada’s Government Has Been Responding to Syrian Refugees
As of December 1st, 2016, as many as 600+ Syrian refugees will be losing their federal funding once they reach their 13th month of living within Nova Scotia, Canada. In addition to losing their monthly allowance, refugee families will also be deprived of access to their basic healthcare and dental plans. This inaccessibility can create a serious problem if a family member becomes sick or need dental work, as it leaves them with minimal options on what to do. Without federal funding, they will either have to support themselves or apply for provincial funding in order to cover the expenses that arise after residing in Canada for over 13 months. While it is estimated that around 30-40 refugee families are self-supporting, it is hard to judge how many families will be applying for provincial assistance with the current system already being under strain. Many Canadian citizens would see the loss of this federal funding as a positive occurrence. This is due to the fact that ‘real citizens’ often have the misconception that if the government spends on refugees, there will be nothing left for them. Canadian Immigration Minister John McCallum has long been saying that backlash is bound to happen in terms of refugees being brought into the country. His belief is that Canadians may feel that Syrian refugees are getting most out of the Canadian healthcare system, as well as housing and other social services. This is another form of white fragility, in which white Canadians feel threatened by racialized coming into the country and ‘disrupting’ the way in which the government is running things. A number of Canadian citizens argue that refugees are draining the federal resources that could be used to help marginalized people that have lived in Canada their whole lives. Yet, this argument seems to only gain traction when white people feel worried about non-white newcomers arriving to the country (especially if they are also Muslim). While the lack of funding mentioned above is a high stress issue for refugee families who currently reside in Canada and need financial aid, the federal government has also recently implemented a new policy that will hopefully allow at least some extra support. This policy involves a faster application process for spouses and dependents of current Canadian citizens or permanent residents. The new application is only meant to take up to 12 months, however, it is possible that complicated cases may take a longer period of time. The updated application process will be available December 15th, but those who have already submitted an application will not have to submit a new one. The IRCC, with the help of this new process, plans to admit 64,000 people in the year 2017- which is an increase of almost 20,000 refugees. In addition to this, a recent study by the Mental Health Commission of Canada has called for the government to implement new ways for refugees to have proper access to resources revolving around mental health. These positive developments will hopefully allow for refugees to feel better supported by the Canadian government in their difficult transition into a new (and often unwelcoming) environment.