World Refugee Day marked with celebration, reflection

The strength, courage and resilience of Manitoba refugees who have fled conflicts around the world were recognized as World Refugee Day was celebrated Thursday at Central Park downtown.

Newcomers of all backgrounds shared their stories and showcased their cultures.

Parwana Fasihi told her story to a crowd of people, detailing how her family fled Afghanistan with some clothes when the Taliban retook control of the country in 2021.

“It was a day that all the dreams, all the hope and all the plans I had for my future changed in one moment,” said Fasihi afterwards in an interview.

After leaving Afghanistan when she was 18, Fasihi and her family went to Pakistan where they lived in a refugee camp for two years.

Fasihi, now 23, said during that time she mourned the life she had lost, let go of her childhood hopes and behaviour to grow up quickly and support her family.

She never knew if they would get to stay another day in Pakistan or be deported, which made every day there feel like a year, she said.

When she came to Canada in 2023, the first thing she did was sign up for an accounting course at the University of Winnipeg.

She said she takes the opportunity to go to school very seriously, and studies for the millions of Afghan girls who don’t get to fulfil their dream of having an education.

“Education is not just a personal achievement for me, it’s a way to not let injustice have the final word,” she said.

Nadia Mahmood, director of programming for the Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations, said this year’s celebration aims to spread the message of togetherness and combat negative rhetoric stemming from policy shifts in Canada and the U.S.

The federal government changed the asylum-seeking process in March so people who entered Canada after June 24, 2020, and waited over a year to make a claim, will not be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

People who enter the country between ports of entry along the Canada-U.S. border and wait over 14 days to file for asylum will also not be referred to the refugee board.

Mahmood said the change has created demoralization, fear and concern among Manitoba’s refugee community.

Ottawa has cut services such as the interim federal health program, which allows refugees to get basic health coverage until they get their work permit, by $829 million over four years and will stop providing funding to municipalities to provide emergency housing to asylum seekers.

Mahmood said such changes will make it much tougher for asylum-seekers to Canada to get the supports they need and have a fair judicial process.

A 2026 report from the United Nations found low- and middle-income countries host 68 per cent of the world’s refugees.

Mahmood said Canada should step up and do more.

“Refugees contribute greatly, and we have a strong tradition of welcoming people in Manitoba,” she said.

tiago.resko@freepress.mb.ca