King's Associate Professor presents at uOttawa on Canadian Refugee Policy
January 19, 2017
Dr. Stephanie Bangarth, Associate Professor in History, was a guest lecturer at the University of Ottawa as part of the Gordon F. Henderson Speaker Series on Refugee History.
Dr. Bangarth presented three case studies on Canada’s refugee history to a group of students and faculty. She discussed how Canadians have approached the government in the past to encourage changes to refugee policy resulting in a more fair and attainable process for incoming refugees. The presentation noted how the language used in human rights discussions has effected Canada’s history and the development of its immigration and refugee policy.
The lecture, on January 12, 2017, focused on how past examples of refugee reception can provide guidance to today’s policy makers. In 1956 Canadians partnered with the government to welcome Hungarian refugees, which resulted in successful settlement and integration. Dr. Bangarth spoke on how this cooperative approach has been proven to be much more effective than the current competitive approach to refugee policy where the Canadian government and citizen groups do not necessarily work together.
Dr. Bangarth’s next speaking engagement on human rights will be in April at McMaster University. She will be part of The L.R. Wilson Institute for Canadian History workshop, “Undiplomatic History: Rethinking Canada in the World,” where she will discuss how Canadian citizens have influenced the ethical decisions of large corporations, including mining corporations and nuclear power facilities.
A recording of Dr. Bangarth’s lecture can be found here.
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