Few government contracts have stood the test of time as well as a simply worded deal between Canada and its people that has not only lasted four decades but continues to bolster the countryâs reputation for compassion.The 11-page sponsorship agreement, signed between Ottawa and the Mennonite Church on March 5, 1979, in response to the âboat peopleâ crisis, became the blueprint for Canadaâs private refugee resettlement program that has allowed Canadians to play an active role in helping refugees start a new life here.âMy family and I wouldnât be here without it,â said Ka Lee-Paine, who was born in a refugee camp in Thailand and came here at age 2 with her family in 1979, among the first wave of people accepted under the private refugee sponsorship program.âWe had complete strangers helping us out. The sponsorship meant I could have a good life, get a great education and be a strong woman,â added the now 42-year-old Kitchener teacher. âNinety-nine per cent of us do understand how fortunate we are to have made it to Canada and we strive to be productive citizens of this country.âWith the help of groups such as the Mennonite Central Committee serving as guarantors and administrators, Canadians have brought almost 350,000 refugees to Canada by providing the newcomers with at least one year of financial and social support.During the Syrian refugee crisis, Canada has seen a renewed interest in private sponsorships, which accounted for half of the 60,000 Syrians resettled here; the rest were sponsored by the federal government.Read more:âForever grateful to them.â 40 years on, refugees still feel warm embrace of their sponsorsSettled in a strange land: What life is like in Canada for Syrian refugeesâWe felt we were reborn.â Thousands of Eritrean refugees quietly welcomed to CanadaOrganizations that have sponsorship agreements with the federal government handle applications from ind ...
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