LISTEN: Local organization preparing to receive Ukrainian refugees in Ottawa

There is a lot of organizing and preparations on-going in Ottawa and in much of the country in anticipation of the arrival of Ukrainian refugees, but the uncertainty surrounding the exact details of when they will start arriving, and services that will be made available to them upon arrival, is typical for refugee movement.

Louisa Taylor, executive director of Refugee613, tells The Rob Snow Show on Wednesday, March 23, that there is a lot of waiting to be done as well.

“Many things are not yet clear and so as much as people are being very generous and jumping up to put up their hand and say they'll host people or volunteer and organize humanitarian relief when it comes to arrangements for Ukrainian arrivals to come to Canada, there is just a real lack of clarity at this point as to how many are going come [and] when would they come in. What way would they come? Is there financial support for them when they're here?” Taylor said.

Taylor adds that dealing with this situation is new territory for people in the business of the refugee movement because of the rapid response and the government's commitment to facilitate Ukrainian arrivals without calling them, refugees.

“They are not using any of the traditional pathways like private sponsorship of refugees or government sponsored,” she said. “They are using a special visa, which will allow Ukrainian nationals to come to Canada and there were fewer restrictions on the visa, but it still enables them to have some level of screening, and it will be processed quite quickly, but it comes with no funding attached. And then there's the family reunification sponsorship pathway. We are waiting for details on what that will look like but it is essential to give folks who are already here an easier pathway and faster pathway to bring people in.”

According to Taylor, while Canada's rapid response to the crisis is remarkable, it begs the question of equity to displaced persons. She also says the pathways come with their own set of challenges.

“For those of us who have worked with refugees for a long time, on the one hand, you sort of feel like, 'Wow! Why are we doing this for the Ukrainians and we haven't done this for literally the 26.9 million refugees in the world?' Canada is a leader in refugee welcome, but we're still very slow and suddenly there is a crisis in Ukraine and we're changing everything. So, on the one hand, there is a concern about equity there and the people who have been displaced.”

She added, “A hundred per cent they are getting special treatment. Is it setting a precedent? That's my hope. I don't want to take anything away from support for Ukrainians. They're experiencing the most horrific trauma, they need support but folks should be aware that the hope is if we are setting a precedent here, we will change how we approach refugee welcome for other countries of origin.”

To support relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees, Taylor suggests that while we wait for the government to answer the questions about what financial support it will offer, people that want to get involved can help through the Ukrainian-Canadian Congress.

Cash donations are encouraged as Taylor says it always fits and can be used to purchase what people actually need.

She also advises folks to support refugees from other countries who have been waiting to be resettled in Canada for a long time. To support non-Ukrainians caught up in the Ukraine crisis, the African Canadian Association of Ottawa is still supporting Black refugees flee to safety.

Listen to the full conversation with Louisa Taylor on The Rob Snow Show below.