Summary of  Canada’s Resettlement Programs: Frameworks and Tensions

This chapter sets out the legal and policy framework of Canadian refugee resettlement programs and highlights where there are tensions between and within the different resettlement programs. It argues that the private sponsorship program and government-assisted program are meant to operate complementarily, while BVOR program situates in the middle. According to the author, while all programs focus on protection needs, the differing selection processes influence where that protection response is targeted. Whereas government sponsorship responds to the protection prioritizations of UNHCR, private sponsors often provide protection to those outside of UNHCR’s submission categories.