Liberals' waiving of travel costs for Syrian refugees created 2-tier system

The first letter, dated Dec. 1, arrived before Christmas, while the second came just after the holiday. Both were from the government. ZouvikBaghjajian had been living in Canada for nearly five months by then,adjusting to her new life away from Syria.

She still could not get over how quiet it was near her new home, a tidy two-bedroomapartment in a suburban Toronto neighbourhood she shares with her husbandand three children.

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"Very peaceful. No bombs,"Baghjajian said.

The letters, though, had their own impact.They were notices from Collection Services, part ofthe Department of Immigration, Citizenshipand Refugees, informing the family they owed $8,892 and were already close to $500in arrears.

"We were shocked," she said. "This is a huge number. Huge price. Why?"

In fact, the bill was for the cost of flying the family to Canada from Lebanonand for the requiredmedical checks done before they left.

It's estimated dozens of Syrian refugees are receiving similar notices,advising them that they are starting out their new lives with a debt to repay, which can be as highas $10,000 for some. Theyhave between one and six years to repay the loan, depending on how much they owe (Baghjajian and her family have six years to pay off their loan in monthly installments of $123.51, but interest begins to accrueafter three years.)

Itusually takes the government about three months from the timerefugees landto set up a loan account and send out notices, soby the time refugees get the first notice, they are often already in arrears.

Liberals changed rules mid-game, activist says

Thenotices are going out inspite of the fact that the government waived thetransportation loan for Syrian refugees arriving in Canada as part of its election promise to bring25,000 refugees here.

But the exemption only includes those who arrived in Canada after Nov.4, 2015,when the Liberals came to power.

"It is like a football game," said Aris Babakian, aformerjudge with the Citizenship Commission and anactive member of Toronto'sArmenian communitywho is helping to settle some of thehundreds of Syrian refugees arriving in that city."In the middle of the game,suddenly the referee changes the rules."

This was definitely a bungle on the new government's part. While their intent was noble, it's a disaster in practice.-

Babakian calls the move arbitrary and unfair.

"We should not discriminate against these poor refugees who came from thesame country, who suffered the same trauma. And now we are going tocreate a hierarchy between the refugees."

Speaking Tuesday morning at the Liberal cabinet meeting in St. Andrews, N.B., Immigration Minister John McCallum said the airfare repayment policy could change for all Syrian refugees.

"This is one of the things that we will reconsider," he said.

McCallum reconsidering if all Syrian refugees get in free

9 years ago

Duration 1:31

Immigration Minister John McCallum says the government is reconsidering whether or not the Syrian refugees that arrived before November 4 will have to pay.

"We only came to power on Nov.4, so our policy affected the post-Nov.4 refugees, but we will consider whether we should make a special case for the pre-Nov.4 refugees."

Last November, an immigration official told The Toronto Star that waiving the loans would helpthose who "have lost everything they have and will not have financialresources for some time."

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"Canada is upholding its humanitarian tradition byoffering help and protection to those most in need. This includes waivingthe issuance and repaying of immigration loans," Line Patry, a spokeswoman for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, told the Star in an emailed statement.

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Refugee organizations have criticized the loan program for years and havecalledon governments to end the practice. The government, for its part, has said it is reviewing the program.

Canada is one of only three countries (the U.S. and Australia are the other two)that charge for transportation and is alone in adding interest to the debt.

A government analysis made public just before Christmas concludes theloan repayment program creates "stress" and hinders refugees'ability topay for basic necessities like food, clothing and housing.

Some, the report says, take minimum-wage jobs to pay off the loan, missingout on the language training and other refugees services they need to helpthem integrate.

The president of the Canadian Council for Refugees, Loly Rico, says that iswhy the government should suspend the program now, instead of waitingmonths while it does a further review especially since it is alreadyexempting 25,000 Syrians.

"We welcome what the government did for Syrians," Rico said. "But whathappens to the refugees who came before Nov. 4, 2015? Whathappened to the refugees coming from all the other parts of the world?"

When the loan program started in 1951, it was aimed at helping Europeanimmigrants move to Canada quickly because "their services were urgentlyrequired," according to the government report. Over the years, however, itbecame a loan scheme used almost exclusively for refugees.

The government has promised to tailor the loans and repayment plans toindividual circumstances, but it's unclearexactly how or when that will be done.

Information about travel costs often doesn't sink in

Refugees are told of the loans as they are preparing to leave for Canada, butthe report notesthatofficials typically spend only a few minuteson theloan program, in many cases trying to explain it to refugees who might notspeak English or French well enough to understand.

Some, like Baghjajian, do not remember discussing the travel loans.

"You know, I signed lots of paper, but nobody said you are signing for theairplane [tickets]," she said.

Baghjajian and her family left their home in Aleppo quickly last yearafter a bomb crashed intotheir apartment building.Along with their belongings, they abandoned theirjewelry store.

Now, the loan is a constant worry.

Baghjajian's husband, HagobBoziaklian, works part-time for a jeweler, butthe work is not steady, and he is having trouble with one of his hands.

"I will try to work, and maybe it will take a long time to repay it,"Boziaklian said, "I cannot predict the future."

"Every night before we sleep, my husband says, 'What will we do?'"his wifeadds.

They are hesitant to express any resentment towardthe Syrianrefugees who had the good fortune to arrive afterNov. 4.

Babakian, though, does not hold back.

"It is not fair. Either you do it for all of them or you don't do it. Webrought these people here. We cannot create different classes of refugees."