Canada's fast-track resettlement program for Syrian refugees has helped thousands build new lives, but some early arrivals are now saddled with staggering debt.
The program, which will see 25,000 people relocated from the Middle East by the end of February, has been applauded by many. But some who arrived before it officially began on Nov. 4 -- which was prior to the country's newly elected Liberal government coming to power-- are being billed thousands of dollars for their airfare and mandatory medical checks.
Canadian broadcaster CBC reports that the new program created a two-tier system for Syrian refugees who arrived in the country in 2015. Before the resettlement program, Syrian refugees were welcomed to Canada on a case-by-case basis like other asylum seekers, who pay similar transportation and medical bills. One of the families who came before the new program's adoption owes the government $9,000, according to CBC.
Dozens of other Syrian refugees are believed to have similar debts, which they have between one and six years to repay. The government also charges interest. According to the CBC report, Canada is one of only three countries around the world that charges refugees for their transportation for resettlement and is the only country that adds interest to that debt.
"It is like a football game," Aris Babakian, a former judge with the Citizenship Commission told CBC. "In the middle of the game, suddenly the referee changes the rules."
Babakian, believes the decision is arbitrary and unfair, and created a system of discrimination within the Syrian population being resettled in Canada.
"We should not discriminate against these poor refugees who came from the same country, who suffered the same trauma," Babakian said. "And now we are going to create a hierarchy between the refugees."
Liberal leaders now say the airfare repayment policy could change for all refugees, and they are considering altering the policy. But for now, the debts still stand.
There have been some stumbling blocks in addition to the debt disparities. In early January, a group of people gathered outside a Muslim center in Vancouver during a "welcome night" for newly arrived Syrian refugees were pepper sprayed by a passerby.