Philippine Showbiz Today Vol 13 No 12 | Page 12

12 Philippine Showbiz Today June 22 - July 7, 2018 Local News Statements of Ministers on World Refugee Day Ottawa,– The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immi- gration, Refugees and Citizenship; the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs; and the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Develop- ment, today issued this statement on World Refugee Day: “Each year, millions of people are forced out of their homes due to conflict, war and persecution. In 2017, a record 68 million people were forcibly displaced from coun- tries in continued crises such as Syria, South Sudan, the Democrat- ic Republic of Congo, Yemen, and Myanmar. Canada has a longstand- ing tradition of providing humanitar- ian support to people from all over the world fleeing war and persecu- tion, and we remain committed to helping refugees as they rebuild their lives in safety.                                                                                             “No one becomes a refugee by choice. We are all capable of help- ing refugees rebuild their lives and protecting them from famine and warfare. “ T h e successful resettlement and inte- gration of refugees has been critical to the develop- ment of our nation. Throughout Canada’s his- tory, we have seen refugees and their descendants become productive and contributing members of our econo- my, our society and our cultural life. “Since November 2015, our country has welcomed more than 90,000 refugees, including 52,000 Syrian refugees. We have welcomed more than 1,300 survivors of Daesh and their family members, including vulnerable Yazidi women and children, and as announced in Budget 2018, we will resettle an additional 1,000 vulnerable women and girls from conflict zones around the world. We are proud to be among the top re- settlement countries globally. “Can- ada is ad- dressing the gaps in education for the world’s most vul- nerable women and girls. Two weeks ago, at the G7 Summit in Charlevoix, Canada, the European Union, Ger- many, Japan, the United Kingdom and the World Bank announced an historic $3.8 billion dollar investment for girls’ and women’s education and skills-training in crisis and conflict situations. “Further, the Government rec- ognizes the specific vulnerabilities faced by refugees who identify as LGBTQ+. The Government is com- mitted to working with organizations internationally, nationally and locally to further enhance its understanding of the needs of this vulnerable popu- lation to ensure their protection. “We remain concerned about the welfare of refugees worldwide, and particularly in recent months, the welfare of the Rohingya people and other minorities in Myanmar and Rakhine State. We will continue working with our international part- ners to address the protection needs of those displaced by the conflict. “While the Government remains committed to respecting domestic and international obligations regard- ing refugees, we continue to enforce our laws and procedures to protect the border, and the health and safety of Canadians. “Canada is a country that values compassion, openness and diversity. These are the principles that we hon- our on this World Refugee Day”.● Fraser Institute ranks 253 B.C. secondary schools in annual Report Card Vancouver, British Columbia - - The Fraser Institute today rel