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Government of Canada and the Anglican Church of Canada encourage Canadians to sponsor refugees

Ottawa, April 16, 2009 — The Government of Canada and Anglican dioceses across the country hope to welcome up to 50 refugee families over the next two years through a project announced today by Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney and Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.

“Canada has a proud tradition of opening its doors to people from around the world and providing a safe haven to those in need of protection,” said Minister Kenney. “Private sponsors, such as the Anglican Church, represent a significant and diverse group of volunteers from across Canada. Since 1978, private sponsors have collectively brought more than 200,000 refugees to Canada, over and above the refugees resettled with government funding.”

Anglican dioceses that hold sponsorship agreements with the Government hope to welcome up to 50 refugee families. The families will be selected by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and referred to Canada for resettlement. This initiative is part of The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund’s (PWRDF) 50th anniversary celebrations which began in October and will run for 20 months.

“The 50 Refugee Families Sponsorship Project is an exciting component of the PWRDF’s 50th anniversary program,” Archbishop Hiltz said. “Sponsoring refugees provides a tangible opportunity to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. In many cases, these families have been struggling to survive in refugee camps for years, even decades. Our support of refugee sponsorship represents renewed hope for a life of freedom, dignity, and peace.”

People interested in helping to support these new families should contact The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund.

For more information on CIC programs, please visit www.cic.gc.ca.

For more information on The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, please visit www.pwrdf.org.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Alykhan Velshi
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Alykhan.Velshi@cic.gc.ca

Carolyn Vanderlip
The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund
416-924-9199 ext. 266
cvanderlip@pwrdf.org

Media Relations Unit
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

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