The Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour, today encouraged all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to acknowledge World Refugee Day tomorrow (Saturday, June 20).
World Refugee Day was established by the United Nations in recognition of the strength and courage of refugees forced to flee their homes and countries. Refugees often find themselves working to rebuild their lives in new and unfamiliar surroundings and require the solidarity and support of their host countries.
Newfoundland and Labrador continues to work together with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and community partners, as well as employers, to support refugee resettlement and integration in the province, as part of The Way Forward on Immigration in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The global theme of this year’s World Refugee Day is ‘Every Action Counts’, which highlights the positive contribution every individual can make in creating a more inclusive and equal world.
World Refugee Day is a call to action for residents to learn more about refugee journeys, to better understand the circumstances that forced some of the newcomers who settle in Newfoundland and Labrador to leave their homes, and to assist in their settlement and integration in our communities. It is also a moment to celebrate the achievements of former refugees in our province. Newfoundland and Labrador continues to benefit from the diverse contributions of former refugees in the province.
More information about World Refugee Day can be found online.
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“World Refugee Day reminds us all of the profound and positive impact we have when we take action to welcome and support newcomers who arrive in our communities as refugees. By expressing our solidarity, we help refugees more fully participate in the social, cultural, and economic life of our province. In Newfoundland and Labrador, we all deserve to feel that we belong.”
Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore
Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour
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