OCASI

WAGE faces 80% budget cuts. This threatens decades of progress in women’s rights, 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion & gender justice. This affects us all.
OCASI joins organizations across Canada to speak out: http://ow.ly/vxwp50WxCsO

Happy from OCASI!

Canada puts refugee claimants at risk!
We call on the government of Canada to withdraw Bill C-2 and withdraw from the harmful Safe Third Country Agreement.
Read the joint statement by OCASI https://oca.si/zhdcin
with:
Colour of Poverty - Colour of Change
Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice
Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic
Council of Agencies Serving South Asians
South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario

Toronto / April 4, 2025 - Today is the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Supreme Court ‘Singh Decision’.

In this decision the Supreme Court found that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the fundamental rights of refugees. The Court decided that ‘everyone’ includes refugee claimants in the sentence: ‘Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.’

Amid rising xenophobia, political polarization, and tightening borders, OCASI joins Canadian Council for Refugees and allies and partners across Canada to continue to advocate for justice and dignity, and the protection of fundamental rights of refugees.

OCASI endorsed an open letter issued by the Canadian Council for Refugees, Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, and Amnesty International Canada, together with more than 200 organizations, calling on federal leaders to commit to messaging and platform policies that honour refugees and newcomers.

Read the full letter and sign on as an organization or individual: https://lnkd.in/eZCyW99r

View “Action 2025: Defending Refugee Rights in Canada”, recording of our virtual Refugee Rights Day 2025 Panel Discussion Held on April 3, 2025: https://youtu.be/jptnLsii9UE

Action 2025: Defending Refugee Rights in Canada

Thursday April 3, 2025, 1pm EDT
Online via Zoom

Moderator: Dr. Yvonne Su, Director of the Centre for Refugee Studies
Speakers:
• Eusabio Garcia, Quaker Committee for Refugees
• Aleks Selim Dughman Manzur, Rainbow Refugee Society
• Alex Vernon, University of Detroit Mercy

Simultaneous interpretation provided in English and French, and ASL
Register: https://oca.si/W-4-2025