Law Times

Page 4 OctOber 19, 2015 • Law times www.lawtimesnews.com CBA sees major response to new refugee assistance program BY NEIL ETIENNE Law Times ith the Syrian refugee issue in the spotlight over the past couple of months, the legal community is joining forces to find ways to help open doors for some of the millions of people f leeing the country's civil war. "In my mind, it's the small part that I can play to help in this massive crisis," says immigra- tion lawyer Jacqueline Bonisteel of Ottawa's Perley-Robertson Hill & McDougall LLP. She's among those partici- pating in the Refugee Sponsor- ship Support program, an effort launched earlier this month by the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, the University of Ottawa's Human Rights Re- search and Education Centre, and Lifeline Syria. It partners pro bono lawyers, law students, and sponsorship experts with Cana- dians seeking to sponsor Syrian refugees with the immigration services offered for free. Orga- nizers are reaching out to immi- gration lawyers or those willing to learn a little about the process who would like to offer pro bono services to potential sponsors as well as those who would like to donate money to support Syrian refugees. The program also pro- vides training and support for non-immigration lawyers to take part as volunteers. "We have skills that are re- ally needed right now. The refu- gee sponsorship process really is incredibly complicated, and there's been all kinds of admin- istrative hurdles that hopefully now will change to some extent. It's a massive amount of paper- work," says Bonisteel, noting lawyers of any background can take workshop-style courses of- fered through the CBA to brush up on the finer points of refu- gee sponsorship in order to add their talents to the pool. "To have someone with a legal background who fills out forms all the time, deals with bureau- cratic and administrative proce- dures all the time, to just act as a guide to a group of people who want to come together and help is going to be such an asset and I think will help get Syrians to Canada much faster." Stéphane Duval, chairman of the CBA's immigration law sec- tion and a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP in Montreal, says the response so far has been strong. "It's a heartbreaking situation for everyone, and I think that was the major trigger," he says. "Lawyers are privileged in our society, so we're trying to give back to the people and we've put this initiative forward." Along with about 100 CBA members taking part, Duval says about 350 other lawyers and legal professionals from across the country are partici- pating and he hopes more will volunteer their time. The effort has already surpassed previous outreach programs the CBA has taken part in, including those aimed at supporting peo- ple in Haiti and the Philippines following natural disasters that drew out about 30 volunteers each. "I think it's the first time so many organizations are joining forces for a similar initiative," says Duval. "The response has been so much more than what was ex- pected. It's incredible." Bonisteel says the applica- tion process to bring a refugee to Canada can take a minimum of a year and a half if the forms are filled out correctly. If not, time passes and each incorrect sponsorship submission must be completely redone. Efforts by the federal government to add more officers to filter through the paperwork will be of help as will lawyers assisting sponsors to fill out the forms correctly, she says. "Lawyers who don't do this every day can come and get in- volved," says Bonisteel. "There's training set up to learn quite quickly how this works. Any lawyer has the skills that are needed just to offer some basic guidance through the process and that's great to see because there is an urgency now." Jennifer Bond, a law profes- sor and faculty director of the University of Ottawa's Refugee Hub, calls the program a "col- laborative response to a heart- breaking human tragedy." "Bringing Canadians togeth- er to make a real difference is empowering," says Bond. "This project is about ordi- nary people working together to do extraordinary things. In the past two weeks, hundreds of lawyers have offered to volun- teer their time. The response has been extraordinary." Anyone who would like to volunteer to offer immigration services can contact the CBA's immigration law section while those seeking information on sponsorship can do so through the University of Ottawa's Refu- gee Hub web site at refugeessp.ca. The university web site will also list all available lawyer volun- teers to assist those looking for assistance with the sponsorship application process. The new program comes as university and college profes- sors from across the country issued an open letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper last week urging the government to quickly address the Syrian refu- gee issue. The letter, which included the signatures of several law profes- sors, called on the government to significantly increase the number of refugees resettled in Canada; implement legislative and logistical measures to have those refugees in Canada by the end of this year; and radically expand financial assistance to those who come. LT NEWS How the legal community in Ontario gets its NEWS To order your copy visit www.lawtimesnews.com or call 416.609.3800 or 1.800.387.5164 SUBSCRIBE TO LAW TIMES TODAY! Cutting-edge legal affairs, news and commentary for just 50 cents a day! Make time for Law Times and keep up with all the developments in Ontario's legal scene. SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND RECEIVE: t 40 issues a year covering Ontario's legal landscape t FREE Unlimited access to Law Times digital editions and digital edition archives t FREE Canadian Legal Newswire, a weekly e-newsletter from the editors of Law Times and Canadian Lawyer FREE Digital edition included! To order your copy Untitled-5 1 2015-09-23 2:24 PM For any organization, purchasing goods and services ranks at the top of the "must-do-right" list. When done well, procurement processes will drive innovative solutions and achieve best value. Done poorly, supply chains are interrupted, costly litigation looms, and suppliers lose confidence in the organization's ability or willingness to purchase goods and services in an open, fair and transparent manner. Numerous court decisions provide a rich body of evidence detailing how good procurements can go badly, and the consequences when they do. 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