Question Period Note: Human Rights Defenders

Refugee stream for at-risk human rights defenders.

PROPOSED RESPONSE:
• Canada has a proud and long-standing tradition of providing protection to those at risk. The work of human rights defenders is essential to promote and protect human rights around the world.
• That is why we have created a refugee stream for human rights defenders. Above our other refugee resettlement commitments, Canada will resettle up to 250 people, including family members, each year.
• In addition to this global annual commitment, we have also expanded the number of spaces available to human rights defenders through our Afghanistan commitments.
• As of April 26, 2022, approximately 170 Afghan human rights defenders have arrived in Canada.
• We are working closely with experts on international protection, including in civil society, to reach the defenders most at risk.

BACKGROUND:
• Human rights defenders are people who protect or promote human rights. They face persecution for their work.
• In July 2021, the Government of Canada announced a new dedicated refugee stream for human rights defenders, fulfilling a previous mandate commitment. 250 government-assisted refugee spaces annually were added to the 2020-22 Multi-Year Immigration Levels Plan, beginning in 2021.
• Your mandate letter commits to the expansion of the new immigration stream for human rights defenders and working with civil society groups to provide resettlement opportunities for people under threat.
• As part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to welcome Afghan refugees to Canada, the Government announced a special humanitarian program to resettle vulnerable Afghan nationals outside of Afghanistan. This includes persons who are part of one of the following groups: women leaders; human rights defenders; persecuted religious or ethnic minorities; LGBTI individuals; and journalists and those who helped Canadian journalists. Expert human rights defender protection organizations are working with broad civil society networks to identify the human rights defenders most in need for referral for resettlement to Canada under this commitment.
• The Department is working with new partners with specific expertise in the protection of human rights defenders (Front Line Defenders and ProtectDefenders.eu) in order to identify and refer those most at risk, while also continuing to leverage the experience of our existing trusted program delivery partners, including the United Nations Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration.
• IRCC has received and is processing applications from these partners and is coordinating travel to Canada for approved human rights defenders. As of April 26, 2022, IRCC has received over 220 Afghan Human Rights Defenders applications (in persons) and is processing them and coordinating travel, in close collaboration with the International Organization for Migration, to Canada for applicants and their families. As of April 26, 2022, approximately 170 HRD have arrived in Canada. Some of the recently resettled HRDs have worked to document and prevent human rights violations; others have been involved in advocating to protect and promote human rights.
• As government-assisted refugees, resettled human rights defenders will be eligible to apply for permanent residence upon arrival in Canada, and will benefit from comprehensive government-funded settlement supports.
• In designing and implementing the new stream, the Department consulted extensively with Canadian organizations and international experts on the protection of human rights defenders. Nearly 30 organizations were engaged.
• The expert input of all organizations consulted has been critical in ensuring that the new stream best meets the needs of refugee human rights defenders. In line with their recommendations, the new stream:
o Is additional to existing refugee resettlement commitments;
o Allows new partners with expertise on human rights defenders to identify those most in need for resettlement;
o Provides HRD organizations in Canada and globally with an opportunity to work with international experts to refer cases to Canada and to connect with resettled human rights defenders;
o Provides resettled human rights defenders with comprehensive settlement supports;
o Is available to all human rights defenders, regardless of their occupation;
o Takes into particular account the needs of human rights defenders facing intersectional risks, including women, LGBTQI, and Indigenous defenders.
Covid-19
• IRCC and its resettlement partners have implemented measures throughout the resettlement continuum to protect the health and safety of refugees and Canadians by ensuring compliance with Canada’s COVID-19 guidelines. These measures will apply to arriving human rights defenders, like all other refugees.

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