Winnipeg group calls for equal treatment for refugees as loans made to Syrians waived

Members of a Winnipeg group that helps refugees say they want Ottawa to treat all newcomers equally.

Aileen Krush of Supporting Employment and Economic Development (SEED), a non-profit agency dedicated to fighting poverty in Winnipeg, is helping Maria Musenga, a Congolese woman, repay a $9,000 loan so she can bring her ailing daughter, Naomi, to the city from Uganda.

It's happening at a time when the federal government is starting to forgive transportation loans for Syrian refugees entering Canada, and Krush said it's stories like these that make her cry.

"We've been very happy and grateful that this new government, they are moving toward forgiving loans for the Syrian refugees," she said.

"But, I really would love to see it happen for many more of our people in general who come as refugees."

A translator quotes Musenga as saying she wakes up thinking about the money she owes in Canada and then about her daughter back in Uganda.

Naomi, who turns 14 on Friday, is in hospital, suffering from malnutrition, the translator said, noting that one side of the girl's body is paralyzed.

But Krush said Naomi's illness is only one concern on a list of many for Musenga, who was expected to start paying off the federal loan within 30 days of arriving in Canada.

She can't bring Naomi here until it's paid, and she still owes more than $3,000 on it.

"It's literally tearing families apart," Krush said.

The government collects interest on transportation loans, which makes it particularly difficult for refugees — many of whom escape desperate conditions to come to Canada only to face crushing debt — to repay them.

Loans waived for Syrians

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) said the government of Canada is waiving loans made to Syrian refugees as part of the initiative of resettling 25,000 by the end of February 2016.

Refugees who were issued loans for the costs of their flight or immigration medical exam may still be required to repay the money, depending on the amount, according to CIC, but will be given up to six years to make the payment.