Ukrainian Canadian Congress pleads for more help for refugees

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress says those fleeing the Russian invasion aren’t getting the help they need once they arrive in Canada.

UCC national secretary Cassian Soltykevych says the plan to support people coming to Canada from Ukraine doesn’t go far enough or offer enough details.

Speaking on The Rob Snow Show Wednesday, Soltykevych says that Canadians want to help, but the government needs to be the first point of contact and often that means ensuring the refugees are able to get to Canada in the first place.

“We aren’t looking for long-term support from the federal government in terms of people staying for a year or two, there’s lots of support from the broad Canadian community as a whole, not only the Ukrainian-Canadian community. What we really need with the federal government’s support is with that transition,” Soltykevych said.

Many Ukrainians who’ve applied to come to Canada are doing so under a special visitor visa program that would allow them to work and study for three years while they decide whether or not to return home. Soltykevych says many are falling through the cracks without a federal system in place.

“How do you get a social insurance number, how do you get health care?” he asked.

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“It’s just those key pieces once they arrive here to help them get here to be able to ease them into the life here in Canada,” he said.

He says more than 75,000 people have applied for a visa, and many of them don’t have the financial means to get to Canada.

On Wednesday, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said Canada will extend some settlement services to fleeing Ukrainians, but they will not receive all of the same supports as other refugees. Fraser says the government has opted not to provide temporary accommodation or financial assistance.

He did promise the federal settlement plan will offer “key services” like language training, orientation, and help to find a job.

The minister’s office says the government is working with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Canadian Red Cross, and 550 other settlement agencies in order to help refugees connect with resources.

In a release Wednesday, the federal government also announced Ukrainians will be eligible to use the Settlement Program services, typically reserved for permanent residents.

The government is also preparing to provide arrival services at the Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver international airports starting in the coming days when an influx of refugees is expected to arrive.

With files from Chris Kury and The Canadian Press