July 16, 2021—Ottawa—The work of human rights defenders is essential to promote and protect the human rights of people around the world. Too often, they put their own lives at risk to denounce injustices and hold the powerful to account.

Our country has a long and proud tradition of providing protection to those at risk. As a global leader, Canada welcomed close to a third of all resettled refugees from around the world in 2020.

That is why the Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today announced the launch of a dedicated refugee stream to provide a safe haven for human rights defenders at risk who are fleeing persecution in their home country.

Canada will become one of the first countries to offer a dedicated, permanent pathway for human rights defenders, and will resettle up to 250 human rights defenders per year, including their family members, through the Government-Assisted Refugees Program.
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