The Centre for Public Dialogue and World Renew partner together in refugee advocacy, equipping churches and supporters to engage with their Members of Parliament and support the welcome of refugees in Canada.
Refugee Justice
Refugees are God’s image-bearers. They are students, bankers, teachers, farmers, businesspeople, lawyers, stay-at-home parents—but their lives have been upended by persecution, war, or violence. “A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group” (United Nations definition).
Canada has long been a place of welcome for refugees - from the arrival of Vietnamese “boat people” in the late 1970s to the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015, and more recently Afghans who were resettled after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021. Across these moments, Canadian congregations, including many Christian Reformed congregations, have played an important role in responding with hospitality and care, taking part in what many see as the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.
Advocacy
Message Your MP
Canada: Extend a Strong Welcome to Those Seeking Refuge
Continuing Welcome Report
This report analyzes the federal government’s efforts to address the refugee sponsorship challenges raised by stakeholders.
Resources
World Refugee Day Toolkit
Resources and calls to action for this special date.
Journey with Me
An interactive workshop to help Christian citizens work with their refugee neighbours.
Refugee Claimant Factsheet
Learn more about Canada's refugee system (and what is and isn't illegal).
World Renew’s Refugee Sponsorship and Resettlement Program
Learn about World Renew’s refugee resettlement work.
Global Refugee Crisis Factsheet
Learn more about Canada’s legal responsibilities to those crossing the border.
Ten Ways to Take Action for Refugee Welcome
Across Canada, churches have a powerful role to play in extending welcome, cultivating belonging, and advocating for justice with and alongside refugees.
Go Deeper
There is still work to be done. Many refugees and their sponsors continue to face long processing times. Families remain separated, waiting to be reunited. Refugees need communities where they can rebuild their lives, belong, and contribute. And Canada needs them.
Welcoming refugees can draw our communities together in new ways, contribute to the lively diversity of our country, and even call us to become the church that Jesus calls us to be – turned from the temptation to wring our hands about shrinking budgets and diminishing cultural influence toward courageous, faithful action for the sake of others.
“Refugees need communities where they can thrive and contribute. And Canada needs them.”
For decades, CRC members have discovered the face of Christ among those seeking refuge - and the story continues. Across Canada and the United States, CRC congregations and members are welcoming newcomers, walking alongside them in resettlement, and being transformed in the process.
The Bible tells the stories of many refugees, people forced to flee their homes because their lives were in danger. Our Saviour, Jesus, and his family fled to Egypt. Paul had to be lowered from an opening in the wall of Damascus to escape persecution after he became a Jesus-follower. Aquila and Priscilla, early church leaders, were forced to leave Rome, along with many other Jews, by the Emperor Claudius. Many of the “great cloud of witnesses” were refugeed people.
Again and again, God reminds his people that we were once foreigners - the Israelites were once oppressed in Egypt, and we all were once estranged from God - and calls us to extend that same hospitality to others who are not native-born in this country. God even goes so far as to say, “Love them as yourself” (Leviticus 19:33-34)!
Scripture is also rich with examples of people welcoming strangers only to find out that those strangers brought unexpected blessing. As Hebrews reminds us, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2). It takes a neighbourhood to welcome a refugee, but it also takes a refugee to make a neighbourhood. When we welcome as Christ has welcomed us, we, too, are changed.
Letter on Rescinding the Cuts on the Global Cap and Increasing Levels for Refugee Pathways (Minister Diab January 2026)
Letter on Canada’s Refugee Resettlement System (Minister Diab June 2025)
Letter on Refugee Resettlement Numbers (Minister Miller Dec 2024)
Sponsorship Agreement Holders (Minister Miller Sept 2024)
Read the CRC's 2017 statement on upholding the dignity and rights of refugees.