Three Syrian refugee families destined for Squamish will remain in refugee camps for a few more months or longer.
Families expected this winter have been stuck in bureaucratic limbo, according to Richard MacKellar, who has a suite in his home ready for a family.
“The big question is how to pull back the mystery of how government actually works. It’s seeming to be a big black hole,” said MacKellar.
His refugee family was approved in late January, MacKellar said, and had completed medical testing and security checks.
“We were told their application was well put together and it had all been approved by the Canadian immigration services,” he said. “All that had to happen now is to issue the visa in Ankara, Turkey.”
In February, MacKellar received another email that said the family would arrive in weeks.
“That is the last communication of any substance we have had,” he said, adding he has been unable to find a way to contact the visa office in Turkey directly.
MacKellar and others in the Squamish Refugee Response group met with Member of Parliament Pamela Goldsmith-Jones on April 5 about their concerns.
“It is the same for Canadians across the country,” Goldsmith-Jones told The Squamish Chief on Friday. “It is a good problem to have because there has been such a tremendous amount of support from Canadians, but we have to go through the steps properly.”
Goldsmith-Jones said one of the reasons for the delay is once the Liberal government target of receiving 25,000 refugees in Canada was reached, extra government workers who had been taken from their usual jobs to expedite the processing work were directed back to their usual tasks, slowing down the processing.
“However we know it is a challenge, and we are working on it,” she said.
She added the Squamish groups with which she met can communicate directly with staff in her constituency office with their questions and concerns. She couldn’t say definitively how long it will still be before refugees arrive but added, “I think it will be a few months.”
“You know, this is an historic precedent and so we are doing everything we can in service to both Syrian refugees and Canadian citizens who have opened their arms to these people.”
MacKellar said not knowing when the families will arrive is frustrating for those who want to help in Squamish.
“We spent many, many thousands of dollars getting our basement ready. Should we rent it out for a year?” MacKellar wondered.
Logistical issues remain as well, MacKellar said, such as what happens if the refugees arrive and host families have taken a summer vacation. “We are just a little in the dark,” he said.
One advantage of the wait has been that MacKellar’s son arrived and “test drove” the suite and made some improvements and small touches that will make it more comfortable for the arriving family, “so it is all ready to go,” he said.
