Refugees

The Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) has been receiving increased attention as Canada recently announced additional protocol that came into effect on March 25, creating significant barriers to those seeking asylum in Canada. The STCA is an agreement between Canada and the US that was implemented in 2004. The agreement between the two countries recognizes each other as a safe country and stipulates that asylum seekers must make their refugee claim in the first safe country they arrive in. 

December 9th, I took a circuitous route to the airport making some last minute pick ups. It was the usual dark and cold of winter in the B.C. interior. I traced my way through the lamp lit roads of the city following Siri’s voice directing me towards a friend’s parents’ house where I would dig a plastic bag out of a storage box. I hoped the neighbours wouldn’t be concerned given the late hour.  All day I’d been sending a flurry of texts trying to arrange a collection of winter coats of various sizes and ensuring the final set up of the apartment was finished.

"He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm." - Mark 4:39

1 Year Anniversary of Ukraine War

It has been one year since Russia invaded Ukraine, plunging families into war and displacing millions. We pray on this grim anniversary for resolution.

Last week the United Nations reported that the number of forcibly displaced people around the world has risen to 103 million, the largest number ever in recorded history and a number that has increased by almost 14 million in one year.

In August, my husband and I went to see The Kite Runner on Broadway. Promoted as “an uplifting Broadway adaptation” of the bestselling novel 2005 by Khaled Housseini, a sign displayed outside of the theater continues by stating that this story “about the friendship of two boys living parallel lives in Afghanistan is a heartbreaker–but so uplifting it’s worth the pain.” 

Lead, kindly Light, amid the gloom of evening.
Lord, lead me on! Lord, lead me on!
On through the night! On to your radiance!
Lead, kindly Light! 

- John Henry Newman

My name is Bryan Mwaka and I work on the Community Engagement Team in Edmonton. My story in Canada starts on January 24th, 2020, the day I arrived at Pearson International Airport in Toronto. It was from there that I got onto another flight that got me to Edmonton International Airport in the wee hours of January 24th. It was -30 degrees. 

World Refugee Day is coming up on June 20. The first World Refugee Day was held on June 20, 2001 to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and serves as a reminder that after the atrocities of World War II, the majority of the world came together in an understanding that we have a moral and legal obligation to protect the lives of people seeking refuge. 

This is the last installment in a short series. You can see the previous blog posts on this topic here.