STAND Canada runs various campaigns related to anti-genocide advocacy and education throughout the year. Learn more about our active campaigns below, or view our past campaigns here.
#WhyDoRefugeesPay
Did you know that Canada is the only country charging interest on refugee loans? The Canadian Government’s Immigration Loan Program (ILP) is out of date and reduces the integrity of Canada’s commitment to assisting refugees.
As a national, youth-led advocacy organization working to make ending and preventing genocide a cornerstone of Canadian domestic and foreign policy, STAND Canada has launched a national, youth-led campaign to #ReformILP and #LiftTheBurden on refugees entering Canada.
The first phase of the campaign began on August 25, 2016 and will run until the end of October. Check out our campaign handbook for more information and helpful links.
What is the Immigration Loan Program?
What are STAND’s policy recommendations for ILP Reform?
Campaign Goals
- Engage a broad community in critical dialogue about Canada’s relation to the global refugee crisis and its links to genocide and mass atrocities, furthering our understanding of genocide generally.
- Advocate to the Canadian government for ILP reform, based on STAND’s policy recommendation.
- Increase awareness about the ILP program and its flaws among the Canadian public and youth in particular.
- Collaborate with other organizations to build partnerships in order to further these goals.
How to Get Involved
▼ Join us on social media
Many facts about ILP are shocking to Canadians. Take a picture with a fact that shocks you the most and post it on your social media channel with one or more of the hashtags for our campaign: #WhyDoRefugeesPay, #ReformILP, #LiftTheBurden.
Download the signs here (coming soon) or make your own! If you are a student on one of our campuses, get in touch with your chapter and take pictures together.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to follow the campaign and share our infographics about ILP and refugees in Canada.
▼ Sign up for our Action Alerts
At critical points in our campaign, or when something of significance occurs, STAND will send out an Action Alert with recommendations to the government and a call to action for our readers to contact them. We will also be sending out statements and bulletins in response to various events. Make sure you receive the Action Alerts by
signing up for our mailing list and encourage others to sign up to make your voices heard!
▼ Sign the petition
Utilizing Canada’s new e-petition system, STAND is collecting signatures for an e-petition to the government on the Parliament of Canada website. It will go live after it is sponsored by a Member of Parliament and approved by parliamentary staff. Once STAND obtains a minimum of 500 signatures within 120 days, the Canadian government is obligated to provide an official written response.
Sign up for our Action Alerts to get the petition when it goes live!
▼ Meet with Members of Parliament
STAND’s advocacy team, based in Ottawa but operating nationally, will be working in overdrive to get in touch with MPs, build partnerships, and start conversations.
You can get involved in three ways:
1) Join our National Advocacy Team
Volunteer with STAND Canada as a member of our advocacy team to participate in and assist with MP meetings, in addition to other advocacy opportunities. Learn more about joining the team. Apply here!
2) Join or Form a Chapter Advocacy Team
Whether you are on a campus with a STAND Chapter or not, STAND will help you assemble an advocacy team and coordinate with your National counterpart to maximize MP engagement. Chapter Advocacy Teams work as satellites for the National team and focus on local outreach and other initiatives according to their capabilities.
If you want to join or form a Chapter Advocacy Team, contact the Chapters Directors at chapters@standcanada.org.
3) Reach Out to Your Local MP with Support
If you are not a STAND volunteer or a student on campus, you can still reach out to your local MP and encourage others to do the same! STAND will help you set up meetings, prepare for the meetings, attend with you (availability and location-permitting), and help you follow up. If you are interested in setting up a meeting with your MP, or are already at a stage of this process, please fill out this form.
▼ Sign up for a podcast or guest blog
In addition to the live events, STAND is reaching out to various partners to hold a series of podcasts related to the ILP, refugees, and the global migration crisis. Speakers will participate in recorded podcasts to be published on STAND’s website and disseminated widely. Each podcast will be between 20-40 minutes and conducted online.
Some examples of potential speakers are (in no particular order):
- Refugees and former refugees;
- Government officials of all levels and their staff;
- Non-profit or professional advocates for refugees and migrants;
- Academics with expertise in the topics (broadly) related to the campaign;
- STAND members with questions or experiences they wish to share;
- Any other ideas you may have.
If you have an idea for an interesting podcast or a speaker in mind, please contact the Communications Team at communications@standcanada.org.
▼ Join or start a chapter
We currently have chapters on the following campuses:
- University of British Columbia
- University of Toronto
- Western University
We are currently working with students to start new chapters or revive old ones. Contact the Chapters Team for more information on current chapters or starting a chapter (chapters@standcanada.org).
▼ Attend an event
Stay tuned for upcoming events related to this campaign.
If you have questions about the campaign, please email us at standwithus@standcanada.org or contact us on social media. Let’s work together to #ReformILP!
Other non-profit and advocacy organizations should contact Priya Ramesh directly at advocacy@standcanada.org.