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Toronto – June 18, 2013 - Each year the United Nations' (UN) World Refugee Day is observed on June 20^th. This event honours the courage, strength, and determination of women, men, and children who are forced to flee their homeland under threat of persecution and violence. This day was designated by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to bring attention to the plight of the 14 million refugees around the world.

“Although Canada is one of the 145 signatories to the 1951 Geneva Convention on Refugees, regrettably Stephen Harper's Conservative Government has passed Bill C-31, which gives the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration a disturbing degree of control over refugee claims with no mechanisms for judicial accountability”, says UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley. “On World Refugee Day, we must all remember that basic human rights should supersede any threat or uncertainty that the Harper government has imposed on refugee claimants.”

As Canada’s largest and most inclusive private-sector union, we fearlessly fight for the rights of our refugee sisters and brothers. For instance, UFCW Canada is a proud supporter of the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR). The CCR’s mandate is rooted in the belief that everyone has the right to seek asylum in other countries to escape persecution. Refugees, refugee claimants, displaced persons, and immigrants have the right to a dignified life as well as the protections that are outlined in national and international agreements concerning human rights. Canada has a responsibility to protect and resettle refugees from around the world, especially when their lives are in danger.

UFCW Canada members and allies are invited to join the celebration of World Refugee Day by displaying UFCW Canada's newest poster to honour and raise awareness of this important event. The poster is freely available to download and print in both English and French. You can also show your support by using the World Refugee Day poster image as your profile picture on Facebook and other social media sites.