This exhibition was designed for World Refugee Day on June 20, 2008, and presented in the Dawson Hall of St. James United Church in Montreal. The exhibit invited visitors to follow the journey of asylum seekers from the time they leave their country of origin to when their refugee status was recognized in Canada.

 

With the support of interviews, documentaries, and poems, visitors where able to learn what asylum seekers experienced socially and psychologically during their journey through the Canadian bureaucracy, and about the administrative requirements needed to make their case as claimants of refugee status. As a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, Canada has specific obligations and commitments to providing applicants with fair treatment. The exhibition highlighted certain shortcomings in the Canadian system such as administrative delays : while Canada offers more acceptable conditions than other countries regarding refugee protection, it can often be perceived as inflexible and lacking in compassion.

 

Both educational and reflective, this exhibition became a backdrop for discussions on our hospitality as a nation and how it manifests itself in our socio-political system. It also helped to shake many prejudices by presenting the facts and giving visitors an intimate view of the lives of refugee claimants in our communities. 

 

I produced this exhibition for Mission Communautaire de Montreal (MCM) with the collaboration of Sylvain Thibault of Montreal Community Mission (MCM), St. James United Church and Mathieu Ouimet.