WATCH: Senate Statement on World Refugee Day 2021

On June 16, 2021 Senator Omidvar rose in the Senate chamber to recognize World Refugee Day.

Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Honourable senators, I rise today to mark World Refugee Day on June 20. Life, as we know it, has never been easy for refugees, but I know that we must all appreciate how much harder it has become for them with the deepening of the COVID crisis. Borders have locked down, safe passage is hard to find, predators lurk around every corner and doors to entry are being closed rapidly. Refugees have always been last: last in terms of their rights, last in terms of access, last perhaps in our minds and definitely last in terms of health care in these complex times.

Just as one example, we’ve all heard about Cox’s Bazar. People are already living there in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh hosts 900,000 Rohingya refugees, with waves of the pandemic sweeping over them. And yet, as I read in The New Humanitarian last week, not a single vaccine has been administered by the government at this point.

And Bangladesh is not the only refugee-hosting country relying on COVAX for its supply. Other major refugee-hosting countries such as Uganda, Pakistan, Colombia and Lebanon host some of the largest refugee populations of the world. All have received just a fraction of the doses allotted to them through COVAX. It is no surprise that of the 157 hosting countries, only 54 — roughly one third — have vaccinated refugees.

In addition, even where vaccines are available, refugees face insurmountable barriers to getting them. There are issues of cost and language, there are information barriers, and there are issues of providing identification, to name just a few. Getting access to vaccines in conflict zones creates another set of challenges, and the United Nations humanitarian buffer vaccination zone has not launched yet.

Let’s also be clear: The main reason these countries are at the end of the line is a woeful lack of supply for developing countries. Most of the vaccinations, as we know, are going to well-off countries such as Canada, the U.S. and in Europe. As welcome as the announcements of the vaccine donations from the G7 summit are, they would need to be accompanied by a timeline and with a special mention of host countries which house large refugee populations.

I and a number of other senators, along with civil society, governments and concerned citizens around the world, have called for vaccine patents to be temporarily waived so that more supply of vaccines can be produced and shared around the world. To this proposal, we wrote a letter to the Prime Minister. We have only heard nice words and no real action.

Today, coincidentally, June 17, Canada is acting as the host of the International Donors’ Conference for the more than 5.7 million Venezuelan refugees who remain largely in the region. They need shelter, food and vaccinations.

Question Period: What is Canada Doing to Ensure that Refugees Around the World are Vaccinated Soon?

On June 16, 2021 Senator Coyle asked Senator Gold, the Government Representative in the Senate, what Canada is doing to ensure that refugees have access to vaccines.

Hon. Mary Coyle: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Senator Gold, our colleague Senator Omidvar just reminded us that June 20 is World Refugee Day. In my town of Antigonish, many of us are walking extra distances daily to raise funding for SAFE, one of our amazing refugee sponsorship organizations. While walking, we’re conscious of the 8,072 kilometres between our community and Syria, where many of our refugee families have come from.

As we know, Canada has been a leader in welcoming refugees. In 2019, we welcomed over 30,000 people. While this is a wonderful thing, we also know there are currently at least 26.3 million refugees worldwide looking for shelter from conflict, violence, human rights abuses and persecution.

Senator Omidvar mentioned the vulnerability to COVID-19 of the 900,000 Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, especially given the prevalence of the Delta variant in the region. Senator Gold, could you tell us what Canada is doing to ensure these vulnerable people in Cox’s Bazar, and other refugees, are vaccinated very soon? Thank you.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, colleague, for your question. The virus has proven what we all know — and the government certainly knows — that no one is safe in this world until everyone is safe. In that regard, I’ve been advised that Canada has been supporting partners such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, who in fact has reported on the situation of Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar. Voluntary contributions from Canada and other countries support the UNHCR’s work in developing countries to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, both within refugee camps and those living within host communities. I’ve been advised, in fact, that thanks to UNHCR’s advocacy and the support of UN member states, at least 153 countries have adopted national vaccination strategies that include refugees.