June 14 - 20, 2026
Week of Action
A national campaign leading up to World Refugee Day, June 20th.
Our Canada includes immigrants and refugees!
Let's remind everyone from June 14th to June 20th.
Why a Week of Action?
World Refugee Day is June 20. Let’s take the whole week to show, together, that across Canada we stand with refugees and newcomers, no matter where we come from or what language we speak.
When we act together, we are stronger than any attempt to divide us.
About Our Open Letter to the Prime Minister
World Refugee Day: A Call to Uphold Canadian Values
Our Canada includes Refugees and Immigrants!
Some politicians are actively counting on social permission from the few and silence from the many to deflect blame and anger toward refugees and immigrants for problems decades in the making through neglect. To prevent the horrors we see playing out in the U.S., we need to end the silence and raise our voices now.
It’s time to come together to make our voices loud, proud and visible to turn the tide on rising anti-refugee and anti-immigrant sentiment. The vast majority of people in Canada support refugees and migrants and expect Canada to continue being a humanitarian leader in the world.
Join us ahead of World Refugee Day in calling on our Prime Minister to uphold Canadian values, because we know we’re better and stronger together.
Read the Letter
EMBARGOED
The Right Honourable Mark Carney, P.C., M.P., Prime Minister of Canada
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A2
Dear Prime Minister,
We are writing to you, thousands strong, as concerned people from across Canada on the occasion of World Refugee Day. Each year on June 20, we join people around the world in celebrating the inherent value of welcoming refugees to our country.
This is fundamental to Canadian values. Year after year, thousands of people in every province and territory have built community and connection through sponsoring, resettling, and supporting refugees seeking safety in the promise of Canada.
But this year feels different.
As leaders in other countries recklessly stoke hatred toward migrants and refugees, we are proud to live in a country that welcomes newcomers of all backgrounds. We want no part of the horror unfolding in the United States, where neighbours are turned against each other, and families are violently deported without a hearing. Yet we are not immune to rising anti-immigrant sentiment here in Canada. Newcomers are experiencing it every day, as many of us can attest.
Canada has long been a leader in offering protection—to those fleeing war and persecution, to women escaping gender-based violence, and to LGBTQIA+ refugees seeking a new home where they are free to be themselves. We are rightly known for our fair adjudication of refugee claims, highly skilled resettlement organizations, and strong private sponsorship programs.
This is who we have been as a country, and who we want to continue to be.
Yet this tradition, which has so greatly shaped the fabric and quality of our country, is under threat from a vocal minority who mistakenly (or cynically) link refugees to social problems decades in the making—issues that affect us all and deserve serious attention, but should never be used to undermine safe refuge and due process for people fleeing persecution.
The danger of giving oxygen to anti-migrant and anti-refugee sentiment is real. We are deeply alarmed by steep reductions in refugee admissions from abroad, the closure of private sponsorship pathways, and changes to the refugee claims process that will deprive people of a fair hearing.
People in Canada want a just and well-managed refugee system that reflects our reputation as a safe haven in an unforgiving world. According to the latest Ipsos poll, three out of four Canadians believe people fleeing war and persecution should have the opportunity to seek refuge here. When refugees arrive, they gain a safe home—and Canada gains future citizens who strengthen our communities, enrich our culture, create jobs, and build our economy.
For 75 years, the UN Refugee Convention has upheld the right to seek safety as a universal human right—one Canada has long honoured. On this World Refugee Day, we invite you to uphold this principle at the heart of Canadian values, recognizing that none of us is safe until all of us are safe.
As you prepare for the next session of Parliament, we ask you to:
- ensure Canada welcomes and resettles more, not fewer, refugees;
- protect fair hearings for those seeking asylum in Canada; and
- uphold and strengthen Canada’s global refugee leadership in defending human rights and gender equality.
Canada is beautiful because we speak many languages, come from many places, and across our differences, we look out for each other. We expect our leaders to carry on that legacy and help make this a country where all families can thrive.
If you do, an overwhelming majority of Canadians will stand with you to make it a reality.
Because we are better and stronger together.
Sincerely,
Help us reach 5000 signatures!
Week of Action Overview
Mobilize your network
June 14 | Day 1
Email supporters and activate networks
Contact your MP
June 15 | Day 2
Email MPs and share the Open Letter to the Prime Minister
Community spotlight
June 16 | Day 3
Highlight Events, stories, local gatherings
End the STCA
June 17 | Day 4
Amplify CCR assets, support the legal challenge
Community spotlight
June 18 | Day 5
Highlight Events, stories, local gatherings
Indigenous solidarity
June 19 | Day 6
Share stories of solidarity for Indigenous rights and justice
World Refugee Day
June 20 | Day 7
Events, celebration and hilighting refugee voices
Join an Event in Your Local Community
Alberta
Habesha Legal Professionals Association of Canada (Habesha LPAC)
Calgary | June 6, 2026
MP Salma Zahid to speak to African community. Discussion focused on processing delay from Africa
Manitoba
Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations (MANSO)
Winnipeg | June 18, 2026
contact: Nadia Mahmood
A large gathering of of 500 people for World Refugee Day at Central Park Winnipeg MANSO is partnering with many organizations to plan this event, including Accueil francophone, Welcome Place, City of Winnipeg, Together Project, Immigrant Centre, West End Biz, NEEDS Inc., Red River College Polytechnic, Mennonite Central Committee, Canadian Muslim Women’s Institute, Family Dynamics, Refugee Sponsorship Training Program, 1 Just City, Réseaux d’Immigration Francophone, Elmwood Community Resource Centre, Resilia Community Wellness Centre, Immigration Partnership Winnipeg, Knox Church, The Excel Empowerment Centre, Louis Riel School Division, SEED Winnipeg, Mosaic Family Resource Network, Age & Opportunity, and Winnipeg Newcomer Sports Academy, Winnipeg Initiative for Refugees
Regional Connections Immigrant Services
Winkler | June 20, 2026
World Refugee Day Celebration. Partner: Pembina Valley Local Immigration Partnership
Naomi House
Winnipeg | August 20, 2026
The event is planned as our way to commemorate refugee day. “Explore the refugee highway,” An immersive experience. Get a small taste of the challenges that refugees and displaced people face. Visit different stations along the refugee highway and make decisions based on the difficulties you are presented with. Any choice could change the outcome of your situation. It is a family friendly event.
Manitoba Bridges For Economic Growth & Cultural Integration INC
Winnipeg | June 20, 2026
We are bringing together Somali Community Leaders, Refugees, and Newcomers together, sharing information about BILL-C12, and raising awareness
Nova Scotia
Halifax Immigration Partnership
Halifax | July 1, 2026
Walk with refugees which happen to commemoration World Refugee day.
Ontario
Quaker Committee for Refugees
Toronto | June 12, 2026
contact : Eusebio Garcia
Refugee Art Show
Friday, June 12 10:00 AM -9:00 PM; Saturday, June 13 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Free Admission. Official Opening: Friday, June 12 at 6:00 PM.
Open Homes Hamilton/IAFR Canada
hamilton | June 6, 2026
contact: Danielle Steenwyk-Rowaan
FCJ Refugee Centre
Toronto | June 18, 2026
“re you a refugee claimant? You are invited to participate in the IRB-RPD VIRTUAL READY TOURS! This is a great opportunity to meet the RPD (Refugee Protection Division) officers who will explain what is going to happen during your refugee hearing and how to be ready. Ready Tours take place twice a month. At FCJ
FCJ Refugee Centre
Toronto | June 11, 2026
Presentations by:
Dr. Agnes Thomas, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Toronto (CCAT): Walking With People on the Move: Reflections on Welcome and Community
Ms. Adriana Vargas Chavez, FCJ Refugee Centre’s former client
Citizens for Public Justice
Ottawa |
Christie Refugee Welcome Centre
Toronto | June 25, 2026
Contact: Denise Hansen
Celebrating Christie kids and the end of the school year
Christie Refugee Welcome Centre
Toronto | June 25, 2026
Contact: Denise Hansen
Celebrating Christie kids and the end of the school year
Christie Refugee Welcome Centre
Toronto | June 22, 2026
Family friendly community bbq celebrating world refugee day
Québec
Action Réfugiés Montréal
montreal | June 18, 2026
Contact: Meghri Bakarian
An art exhibition titled Echo of Shadows featuring storytelling and sound presentations created by beneficiaries from our three different programs.
In collaboration with Université Laval, participants were offered a creative space through community art workshops, and this exhibition will showcase the artwork developed during these sessions.
In addition, through another collaboration with the Chapelle musicale du Bon-Pasteur, we were able to provide a second series of workshops over the past few months, culminating in a presentation on July 18th.
This exhibition is therefore organized by Action Refugees Montréal (ARM) in collaboration with Université Laval and the Chapelle musicale du Bon-Pasteur.”
Maison Internationale de la Rive Sud
Longueuil | June 20, 2026
We have planned an event around the theme: “Invisible Crossings – Living the Journey of a Refugee.” Participants are placed in a fictional context where they must leave their homes quickly. A facilitator introduces the situation: “A crisis has just broken out. You must leave immediately. You have little time to choose what you take with you.” The goal is to provide an immersive experience that allows participants to better understand a significant stage in the journey of refugees: forced departure. Through a simple and supervised simulation, participants are encouraged to reflect on: The urgency of an unforeseen departure, the difficulty of making quick choices, and loss, letting go, and uncertainty. This activity forms the heart of the experience and will be followed by a testimony from a refugee, allowing for a connection to reality.