Before coming to St. Paul to practice law, local lawyer Pierre Lamoureux practiced convention refugee law. The long-time lawyer says he has always had an interest in wanting to help refugees from outside Canadian borders, and he has now taken action to help people escape danger and come to Canada through private sponsorship.
Last Tuesday, Lamoureux found himself in Calgary learning about an initiative that encourages lawyers across the country to offer their services for free to groups, such as churches or non-profits, who want to sponsor refugees, but are daunted by the process.
He saw the topic come up on a lawyer’s blog he follows online. It was a group at the University of Ottawa that launched the initiative (known as the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program), and a partnership with the government’s Refugee Sponsorship Training Program was formed.
“People’s lives are at stake. People are suffering overseas,” says Lamoureux, as he explains his motives behind getting involved. He says the initiative is a humanitarian one, aiming to match lawyers with agencies to hopefully streamline what can be a complicated process.
“Lawyers should be pretty good at paperwork,” says Lamoureux, with a laugh, adding, “The paperwork is technical.” He says that having private sponsors paired up with lawyers should avoid some of the paperwork being bounced back, and this in turn would help the process move quicker.
“People’s lives are at stake,” says Lamoureux, adding, getting it right the first time could be a huge bonus to ensuring someone’s safety.
Canada is one of just a few countries in the world that allow for private sponsorship of refugees, says Lamoureux. Opening the doors to those living in dangerous situations is part of the “Canadian heritage,” he notes.
Lamoureux didn’t waste any time after getting back to St. Paul. He immediately started sending out emails to groups he thought might be interested in the initiative.
If often starts with a family member requesting to bring another family member to Canada from abroad, says Lamoureux. And he adds, even after someone successfully comes to Canada, the process doesn’t end.
It takes community engagement and support to help refugees integrate into Canadian culture, says Lamoureux, but that is something he is confident can be done in Alberta.
Although the federal emphasis is on Iraqi and Syrian refugees, the initiative is open to all refugees.
“The key word is refugee.”
The obvious groups that could spearhead a private sponsorship are churches and faith-based groups, but there are two streams of sponsorship out there. The first stream is through the sponsorship agreement holders, while the second is through the group of five program, which could include any group of five or more people that meets the critera, says Lamoureux.
This means a hockey club, or a reading club, could pool its resources and make something happen.
Lamoureux isn’t oblivious to the fact that some people are against the federal government’s move to allow 25,000 refugees in by Christmas, but he is still eager to do his part in helping those in need.
He notes that while at the training meeting on Tuesday, he learned that the 25,000 target is only for government assisted sponsorships, and that doesn’t include private sponsorships.
Lamoureux directs those interested to get more information from websites such as www.cic.gc.ca and www.rstp.ca and www.refugeessp.ca, and he also notes that he is available to help those who are interested in private sponsorship. The Canadian Bar Association – Immigration section, supports the recent initiative also.
