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Out In The Open·Audio

Asylum Seekers

Kaleb, an asylum seeker from Ethiopia, says he fled his homeland to come to Canada as a result of political persecution. Our producer, Sam Colbert, accompanies Kaleb as he searches for work and housing in Toronto, while also preparing for his refugee hearing. Sam takes a deeper dive inside the hearing process to shed light on how decisions are made.

We follow the journey of an Ethiopian asylum seeker hoping to gain refugee status into Canada

Out in the Open ·
Kaleb, who asked only to be identified by his first name to protect his family back in Ethiopia, is still waiting for his refugee hearing, a year since arriving in Toronto. (Althea Manasan/CBC)
Last summer, the influx of asylum seekers coming into Canada sparked a political debate about what we should be doing for and about them... one that's sure to continue into this fall's federal election campaign. 

This week on Out in the Open, we put a human face on this story to understand what life is like after a refugee claimant arrives in our country.

Kaleb wears a netela made by his mother. It was one of the few items he took with him when he fled Ethiopia. (Althea Manasan/CBC)

Producer Sam Colbert joins Piya to share his journey with one of these people. His name is Kaleb and he says he fled Ethiopia for Canada over political persecution. Sam accompanies Kaleb as he searches for work and housing in Toronto, while also preparing for his refugee hearing.

Then, Sam takes us deeper inside the hearing process to shed light on how decisions are made and what Kaleb is in for whenever his hearing date is finally set.

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