As a ministry committed to supporting refugees and resettlement across Canada, we believe in the importance of advocacy and right relations. World Renew, along with the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue, sent the following letter to the new Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to welcome and encourage her in her new appointment.
—————–
June 12, 2025
Dear Minister Metlege Diab:
On behalf of World Renew and the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue we congratulate you on your appointment to cabinet. We wish you the blessings of wisdom and discernment as you embark on your new responsibilities as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC), and we look forward to ongoing discussion with you.
We write today both to encourage you in your work but also to articulate our continued hopes—which we also expressed to Ministers Fraser and Miller, previously in your post—that Canada will remain committed to strengthening its refugee protection and resettlement systems.
The Centre for Public Dialogue is the advocacy arm of the Christian Reformed Church in Canada—a close partner of World Renew. World Renew, a member of the Canadian Council of Refugees, is a Canadian humanitarian and international development organization that has been in existence since 1962 and has functioned as a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) with IRCC since 1978, supporting the resettlement of over 11,500 refugees to Canada. In our work, we have seen firsthand the positive impact of refugee resettlement but also the detrimental impact of ongoing backlogs. We, along with our SAH colleagues and others involved in refugee resettlement, appreciate the Department’s efforts over the last several years to improve processing times. However, we share their concern that without increased immigration levels, the backlog cannot be adequately addressed, and we must reiterate our disappointment in the reduction in refugee landing targets for the coming years.
World Renew works with sponsoring groups across Canada, representing a large and diverse cross-section of Canadian society including Christians, Jews, Sikhs, and Muslims, as well as humanitarian charities and organizations that have no faith ties. These sponsors have private funds, housing, and robust settlement teams ready and waiting to welcome the refugees they are sponsoring, and they are committed to and supportive of a strong refugee welcome system in Canada. However, October’s levels announcement, and particularly the 17% reduction in the Private Sponsorship of Refugees category, will not reduce the backlog of approximately 100,000 applicants. Refugees will be waiting even longer than the already too long average waiting period of over 2 years. Even more concerning is that this will leave refugees who are already in vulnerable situations at even greater risk.
Safety, welcome, and justice for vulnerable displaced persons is a vital human right, a responsibility that we consider to be sacred. We also recognize that immigration is vital for the health of the Canadian economy. It is our hope that these important priorities for justice and the wellbeing of all will be held in wise balance as you continue the work of levels planning. We wish you and the new government God’s blessings of wisdom and discernment for this essential work of welcome and justice.
Respectfully,
Albert Postma
Executive Director, Canada
Christian Reformed Church
Mike White
Interim Executive Director
World Renew Canada
Rebecca Walker
Refugee Sponsorship and Resettlement Program Manager
World Renew Canada
Cindy Stover
Justice Mobilization Program Manager
Centre for Public Dialogue
As a ministry committed to supporting refugees and resettlement across Canada, we believe in the importance of advocacy and right relations. World Renew, along with the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue, sent the following letter to the new Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to welcome and encourage her in her new appointment.
—————–
June 12, 2025
Dear Minister Metlege Diab:
On behalf of World Renew and the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue we congratulate you on your appointment to cabinet. We wish you the blessings of wisdom and discernment as you embark on your new responsibilities as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC), and we look forward to ongoing discussion with you.
We write today both to encourage you in your work but also to articulate our continued hopes—which we also expressed to Ministers Fraser and Miller, previously in your post—that Canada will remain committed to strengthening its refugee protection and resettlement systems.
The Centre for Public Dialogue is the advocacy arm of the Christian Reformed Church in Canada—a close partner of World Renew. World Renew, a member of the Canadian Council of Refugees, is a Canadian humanitarian and international development organization that has been in existence since 1962 and has functioned as a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) with IRCC since 1978, supporting the resettlement of over 11,500 refugees to Canada. In our work, we have seen firsthand the positive impact of refugee resettlement but also the detrimental impact of ongoing backlogs. We, along with our SAH colleagues and others involved in refugee resettlement, appreciate the Department’s efforts over the last several years to improve processing times. However, we share their concern that without increased immigration levels, the backlog cannot be adequately addressed, and we must reiterate our disappointment in the reduction in refugee landing targets for the coming years.
World Renew works with sponsoring groups across Canada, representing a large and diverse cross-section of Canadian society including Christians, Jews, Sikhs, and Muslims, as well as humanitarian charities and organizations that have no faith ties. These sponsors have private funds, housing, and robust settlement teams ready and waiting to welcome the refugees they are sponsoring, and they are committed to and supportive of a strong refugee welcome system in Canada. However, October’s levels announcement, and particularly the 17% reduction in the Private Sponsorship of Refugees category, will not reduce the backlog of approximately 100,000 applicants. Refugees will be waiting even longer than the already too long average waiting period of over 2 years. Even more concerning is that this will leave refugees who are already in vulnerable situations at even greater risk.
Safety, welcome, and justice for vulnerable displaced persons is a vital human right, a responsibility that we consider to be sacred. We also recognize that immigration is vital for the health of the Canadian economy. It is our hope that these important priorities for justice and the wellbeing of all will be held in wise balance as you continue the work of levels planning. We wish you and the new government God’s blessings of wisdom and discernment for this essential work of welcome and justice.
Respectfully,
Albert Postma
Executive Director, Canada
Christian Reformed Church
Mike White
Interim Executive Director
World Renew Canada
Rebecca Walker
Refugee Sponsorship and Resettlement Program Manager
World Renew Canada
Cindy Stover
Justice Mobilization Program Manager
Centre for Public Dialogue
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