[Idées] Cities and the reception of Ukrainian refugees

While the war is raging in Ukraine, the Government of Canada has announced measures in recent days to encourage the reception of Ukrainian refugees. Although a large wave of arrivals from this country is not expected, at least in the short term, it raises the question of how these migrants are welcomed into our communities. A phenomenon that is relatively little discussed — and even little documented — in Quebec is that of the role of cities in terms of welcoming and integrating newcomers. Indeed, cities assume a strategic role so that immigrants have access to the possibilities available to them to come here.

Immigrants are welcomed and integrated in and by communities on the scale of cities or even neighborhoods. Community organizations take care of the majority of services, whether to help them find housing, learn French, look for a first job, etc. This work is done in consultation with local actors to ensure a consistent and complete range of services that meets the needs of newcomers.

Because municipal governments are the closest to the players and are those who best know local needs, we have often seen cities play a leadership role in immigration. Cities have essentially two roles in this area. The first is linked to their direct action, that is to act in an exemplary manner in the areas of competence that are recognized for them (such as the police, as the employer, etc.). The second role, perhaps even more important, is to bring together the players, encourage their consultation to identify the challenges, and above all the solutions best suited to their territory. Moreover, the literature tends to show that when they get involved, the cities allow the emergence of optimal situations on their territory in terms of immigration, more than any other actor.

Welcoming refugees is a circumstance in which cities can and have played a leading role. For example, in Gatineau, with the reception of Syrian refugees, it was the municipal government that brought together local institutional actors to ensure that these refugees were adequately received. It must be said that refugees, more than other immigrants, have specific needs, particularly in terms of physical, dental and psychological health.

In Quebec, all the major cities act on immigration. And fortunately ! Consultation makes it possible in particular to fight upstream to avoid a rise in racism and xenophobia, and thus ensure the resilience of the community. The action of cities in this regard is often inspired by crises. This was the case in Quebec, where the City’s commitment to living together was accentuated after the attack on the mosque in January 2017.

A greater role

While immigration is often referred to as a federal and provincial jurisdiction, particularly in Quebec, municipal governments are called upon to play a greater role. This phenomenon is true at home, but also everywhere in the world.

In Ontario, interestingly enough, the cities are signatories to the 2005 agreement which binds the federal government and the province to determine the division of powers, but also to ensure the integration of the work of the different levels of government. and community immigration organizations. This model of governance has given rise to Local Partnerships for Immigration which bring together local actors at the city or neighborhood level (in the case of Toronto), in order to guarantee a supply of services and, by the same token, the full integration of immigrants. This model is remarkable in many respects, in particular because it allows multilevel governance of an issue that is particularly so.

The reality of immigration is determined by the environment in which the immigrant arrives. To do this, communities, and often cities, are called upon to play a leading role. The commitment of cities in this regard is misunderstood and underestimated. In Quebec, the governance of immigration could be better defined between the cities and the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration, which sometimes tend to step on each other’s feet…

There is growing recognition that global issues find the most practical solutions at the local level, a phenomenon called glocalization “. The movement of migrants is a good example. Thus, cities occupy more and more “new” fields of competence. These are, in addition to immigration, in particular the environment and the fight against climate change, the fight against homelessness, housing and economic development. It is not surprising in this context that we speak of local government, even if there is still work to be done to recognize it and stop treating them as “creatures of the provinces”. »

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