‘I can do great things’: Toronto refugees and asylum seekers want voices heard
TORONTO — Inside a large brick home in midtown Toronto, people pore over documents needed to file refugee claims, discuss the legal aid system, and work through the challenges of finding housing.
The FCJ Refugee Centre is a place where those who’ve been accepted as refugees help others seeking asylum deal with all sorts of practical issues. It’s also an environment where people can share why they came to Canada and their hopes for the future — narratives many at the centre feel are important to larger conversations about refugees and asylum seekers.
One of them is Dennis, a 21-year-old who came to Toronto from an East African country in January 2017. He doesn’t provide his full name because of concerns about safety and the status of his refugee claim — he says he’s waiting for a hearing. But he wants to talk.
“Refugees don’t come because of the money (in social assistance) the government gives them. They come to seek protection,” he says. “My father, who protected us, was slaughtered in front of me. I made the decision to leave.”