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“It’s clear that the Harper Conservatives are not doing enough to address the global humanitarian crisis. They have failed terribly in matching the good will, generosity and eagerness of Canadians to help support the settlement of Syrian refugees in Canada.” — James Clancy, NUPGE National President
Ottawa (05 October 2015) — The 360,000-member National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is contributing $10,000 to help support the settlement of Syrian refugees in Canada.
The donation is being made to a special fund that the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) has established in partnership with the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) to sponsor Syrian refugees. The fund will be administered by the CCR and funds will be distributed to its member agencies with expertise in settling refugees.
Federal government needs to do more to address the humanitarian crisis
“It’s clear that the Conservatives are not doing enough to address the global humanitarian crisis,” noted NUPGE National President James Clancy. “They have failed terribly in matching the good will, generosity and eagerness of Canadians to help support the settlement of Syrian refugees in Canada."
“As other countries prepare urgent and bold plans to accept more refugees, Canada can and must do more. The federal government, on behalf of all Canadians, needs to show a more significant response to this crisis than they have to date,” said Clancy.
Need to resettle at least 10,000 by the end of 2015
“So far, the government has relied on private sponsors to resettle about 1,000 Syrian refugees. This is far from an adequate response. We need an immediate commitment from the federal government to fund and resettle at least 10,000 Syrians by the end of 2015.”
NUPGE also calls on the Harper government to reverse its 2012 decision that denied refugees who are privately sponsored access to health care coverage. This exposes private sponsors to the risk of catastrophic costs if, for example, a person needs urgent medical care.
NUPGE encourages members to support resettlement efforts
NUPGE is encouraging its members to get involved by making individual donations to the CLC/CCR Syrian Refugee Support Fund, by being a part of a private sponsorship, or by volunteering time with a community group that supports refugees.
Founded in 2007, NUPGE’s Social Justice Solidarity Fund focuses primarily on domestic and international emergency humanitarian relief and on economic and social development projects in developing countries. Since the fund was established, it has contributed over $550,000 to some 65 projects in Canada and around the world.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 360,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE