Over 70 Million Displaced Around the World

World Refugee Day is an important day. But it’s also a difficult day. We are reminded of the millions who have been forcibly displaced – due to conflict or persecution. 

Through no fault or deed of their own, they have lost their homes. They have lost their countries. Many have lost or left behind their families.

They seek only the safety of a new place to settle and build a life. Find a job. Provide. Contribute. Find happiness.

Opening the door to refugees is the mark of a civilized and progressive country.

Canada was a leader in welcoming thousands of Syrian refugees – one of the worst humanitarian crises on the planet. Just as it has accepted refugees for many years.

And not just government. As people – ordinary people – we have, as a nation settled more than a quarter of a million refugees through private sponsorship alone. 

Canadians – men and women – putting up money of their own. Taking time out of their own lives. All to help a person or a family they may never have met.

Welcoming refugees is an important step. An essential step. But it is only the first step.

If these people are not able to find work, then what are they / to think of their new country – and what will the people of their new country think of them?

Do you know what a job is to a refugee? I will tell you because I know this from my own life.

A job is everything. 

It is a way to earn money. 

It is a gesture of goodwill.

It is a vote of confidence.

It is a pathway to financial independence.

It is a restoration of self respect.

It is everything.

I know what it is to be a refugee. I was forced to leave Lebanon during the war. A little money in my pocket and not much else. I know first-hand the challenge of building a new life in a new country. 

And I have seen many like me who struggle with adversity – a new land, a new language, new customs. Every face is a new face. 

Most people are welcoming, but not all.

The challenge to find work.

The pressure to prove yourself.

Perhaps the pressure to support family members – here and overseas.

Some refugees lack the experience that employers are seeking.

Others have credentials that aren’t formally recognized here.

Some have trouble learning the language – or finding the support systems that will help them do so.

Government opened the door for these people. 

We need employers to do the same. To give them a chance to prove themselves in the workplace. And an opportunity to provide for themselves and their families.

Some business owners worry that hiring a refugee may be risky or a bureaucratic hassle – more trouble than it’s worth. 

That’s false. And I know it’s false because I’ve hired more than 150 refugees from Syria alone and over 100 across the world.

These are skilled people. Dedicated people. They are appreciative. They work hard. They go above and beyond what is asked of them. They bring different perspectives – and they introduce us to new opportunities.

Let me tell you something about refugees, okay? They are tough. They are resourceful. They solve problems. They are smart and good in a crisis.

They wouldn’t have made it to Canada if they weren’t.

So they can probably handle making a few shawarmas. Or selling a car. Or working in your office or factory.

I am proud to work with UNCHR – the United Nations Refugee Agency. They help people who have nothing.

But I am prouder to walk into one of my restaurants – and see a Syrian refugee on his or her way to becoming a proud Canadian. 

Someone I know, someone I hired, someone who has seized that opportunity and turned it into a livelihood.

I will tell you something that is true from my heart: There is nothing like the feeling of giving another human being a chance – and the feeling of watching them prosper. 

The confidence they show as they develop their language skills.

The appreciation they show as they gain financial independence.

When you hire a refugee, you are changing a life. Changing it for the better. 

You are bringing a little bit of good into a world that badly needs it.

When you hire a refugee you are adding purpose to your organization. Customers want to support companies that help the community. 

There are a number of non-profit organizations that deserve our credit and our praise – for taking on the task of helping newcomers find work. But there is more to be done.

If you run a company, if you own a business, if you are in charge of hiring for a workplace… I encourage you to hire newcomers. I encourage you to create a lasting culture of hiring newcomers and refugees. 

Economically, it’s the right thing to do – to allow refugees to contribute to Canada’s success. 

Morally, it’s the right thing to do – to give a helping hand to those who need it and offer them the dignity of work. 

Believe me: A refugee never forgets the first person to give him or her a break. To offer a job. 

To say to them: You have value. 

To say to them: You are welcome not only to live in Canada – but to participate in our country. To work. Maybe to build a business of your own one day. 

When we help just one time, we do more than help one person. We create a legacy.

I think of the kind woman who took a chance on me – hiring me to work in her jewelry shop. She hired one newcomer, one immigrant, one person – and that immigrant went on to hire 150 more. 

That is a legacy anyone would be proud of. 

I was a refugee. It shaped my life – but because of the opportunities I received, it did not define my life. I later came to Canada as an immigrant. It was the best decision I ever made.

I say to my fellow business owners and leaders: Hiring a refugee is an investment in that person – but it is also an investment in your company and in your country. 

Even in a hard world, there will always be more that connects us than divides us.

When we hire newcomers, we strengthen that connection. 

With the dignity of work, these are no longer foreigners. No longer refugees. They become your neighbours. They are finally at home.

Most of us watched at least some of the victory parade in Toronto on Monday. 

When we looked at the crowd, what did we see? 

We saw every colour of skin – together. We saw a diverse community packed in together, cheering together, sharing together and celebrating together.

We saw the world. All in one downtown.

In other countries, there are people who want to build walls. They want to keep people out.

But this is Canada. We don’t build walls – we build futures. We build communities. We build a society that is inclusive and dynamic and uniquely Canadian.

We do not often speak of a Canadian dream. But perhaps we should.

The Canadian Dream should be a dream for us all, not only for ourselves. 

It should recognize that Canada works best when we live together in community and respect. 

When we stand together, in good times and bad. 

When we welcome those who come to us in need.

When we resolve together – to build a country where everyone gets a chance. 

When we fight together, for causes that are just and for freedoms that are fundamental to who we are.

And when we join together, all of us together, in building a country that is open to the world, open to newcomers, and open to giving them the opportunity to build a new and productive life in the greatest country in the world.

That is my Canadian dream. And I hope it is yours.

Let me end this by saying......

Let’s all stand up for refugees. Let’s send a message to all the 70 million displaced right now. 

All of us, all of Ottawa, frankly all of Canada, join me in standing up. Stand up, Could you all right now, stand up with me.

Let’s stand up and send a message to the rest of the world that we Canadians stand UP for refugees.