Refugee Policies and Grassroots Knowledge: A Public Dialogue between Government and Civil Society

This event is held in collaboration with the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation. 

As the closing event for the Building Inclusive Communities for Refugees: A Public Leadership Challenge series, the 2015-17 Sauvé Fellows will host a policy dialogue on the topic of refugee integration in the Montreal context.

The need for effective public policies informed by grassroots expertise and partnerships is increasingly acute, as the challenges surrounding the issue of refugee integration become more complex. This event will bring together leaders from government and civil society for an evening of candid and constructive exchange.

Our esteemed panelists include:

• Sarita Bhatla, Director General of the Refugee Affairs Branch, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada
• Wafaa El-loubani, Refugee support worker and private sponsor, Founder of Charitas
• Rick Goldman, Lawyer, Committee to Aid Refugees and Just Solutions legal clinic
• Jenny Jeanes, Action Réfugiés Montréal and Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes
• Marc Rivest, Team Lead, Développement social et relations interculturelles, Direction de la diveristé sociale, City of Montreal

Our goal is to reinforce the growing spirit of collaborative dialogue on these issues between government and civil society, and to create new opportunities for policy-making grounded in grassroots knowledge. Following a panel discussion moderated by Sauvé Fellow Jon McPhedran Waitzer, we will invite all event participants to engage in an open exchange on the current challenges and opportunities surrounding refugee policy. The evening will conclude with an informal reception at Sauvé House. 

Registration for this free event is mandatory. 

Please note that the panel discussion will take place at the Samuel Bronfman Building atrium (1509 Docteur-Penfield), followed by a cocktail reception at Sauvé House (1514, Docteur-Penfield Avenue).