Great News! Hamilton just declared a ‘Sanctuary City’!
Hamilton City Council just unanimously voted to adopt a motion affirming access without fear to Hamilton’s undocumented residents. With the vote, Hamilton is on its way to becoming Canada’s second Sanctuary City (after Toronto in February 2013).
The Spectator reports, “Hamilton will work to become a “sanctuary city” for residents with immigration problems who fear deportation.” This new plan will help, “‘undocumented’ newcomer residents ask without fear about city-funded services such as shelters, housing and food banks.The city plan includes training of municipal employees and a public education campaign.”
Further, “The city report also recommends the city ask the federal and provincial governments to revisit programs and policies to offer more support to those without full status or without full status documents.”
The Sanctuary City Coalition of Hamilton, supported by the Solidarity City Network in Toronto is now calling on the province of Ontario to do the same.
Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow has stated, “The Harper government has changed Canada’s refugee determination system in a way that creates a two-tier system of refugee protection, which is vulnerable to political whims, rather than ensuring a fair and independent decision-making process. Bill C-31 gives the immigration minister enormous powers to imprison refugee claimants, to deny refugees the ability to reunite with family members and to strip them of secure legal status. The bill does not take into account the realities of the most vulnerable, such as survivors of torture and sexual violence, and blatantly violates the UN Refugee Convention and other international rights instruments. The law denies refugee claimants from specific countries (some of which have records of systemic human rights violations) from appealing a negative decision. Furthermore, cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program have deprived claimants of basic and emergency health care, a move that front-line health care workers call cruel and inhumane.”
For more information please see:
NEWS: Toronto declares itself a ‘sanctuary city’, rejects Harper agenda
NEWS: Company fined for deaths, but use of ‘foreign’ workers explodes under Harper
NEWS: Harper’s refugee policy puts children in jail
UPDATE: Harper prioritizes ‘free trade’ with Europe over refugee rights
NEWS: Showdown between sanctuary movement and Harper government looms
NEWS: Manitoba to counter Harper cuts to health care for refugees
