The Rafeeh family, originally from the cities of Damascus and As-Suwayda, wait to welcome the first transport of Syrian refugees at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on December 10, 2015.

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Between November 2015 and February 2016, Operation Syrian Refugees saw 26,172 refugees resettle in Canada in just under four months.

As part of this national initiative, Canadians across the country raised money, volunteered their time, and sponsored Syrian families. Leah Hamilton, PhD, professor in the Department of Management and Human Resources at the Bissett School of Business, has been working with community partners to better understand the resettlement experiences of these Syrian families.

Hamilton, who has co-edited a new book, A National Project: Syrian Refugee Resettlement in Canada, began researching the social and economic integration of newcomers and refugees more than a decade ago while completing her PhD at Western University.

“I started researching prejudice and discrimination as an undergraduate student,” Hamilton says. “Throughout my PhD I became increasingly interested in the discrimination faced by newcomers, particularly in the labour market. Over time, my program of research has evolved and I have focused on working with refugees and examining resettlement more broadly.”

Largest resettlement event ever

Hamilton's work and its practical implications are an example of how research can inform policies designed to improve the resettlement experiences of newcomers to Canada.

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Canada is regarded as a world leader in refugee resettlement, with a long history of welcoming refugees from around the world. By January 2017, 40,081 Syrians had sought refuge across Canada in the largest resettlement event the country has experienced since the Indochina refugee crisis in the late ‘70s.

“Canadian policymakers have worked to gather robust resettlement data and share it with local, national and international organizations, in addition to the general public,” Hamilton says.

For instance, research suggests that Syrian refugees report a strong sense of belonging both to Canada (90 per cent) and to local communities (84 per cent). Moreover, compared to other resettled refugees, Syrian refugees are ahead when it comes to employment and finding work.

But while many of these families have had a positive experience in their new home, there is still more to do.

“For Syrian refugees specifically, there were a number of challenges experienced by children and youth. Some youths had to re-start their education, which led to challenges related to academic and social barriers,” Hamilton notes.

“According to data collected by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, approximately one quarter of Syrian refugees are food insecure, meaning they sometimes, or often, do not have enough food. This food insecurity has likely been amplified during the recent pandemic.”

Finding a forever home

Accessing affordable, safe housing is also a major barrier faced by many refugees. Hamilton and Mohammed El Hazzouri, PhD, associate professor in marketing at MRU, are currently conducting a longitudinal study on the housing outcomes of Syrian refugees. This is a cross-national study of over 45 families in London, Fredericton and Calgary.

“We are exploring the factors that lead to satisfactory long-term housing, as well as the barriers that make it hard to find satisfactory housing,” El Hazzouri says. “The results are important because they may inform the settlement sector on the factors to consider when helping refugees find their first home in Canada.”

In her other research projects, Hamilton examines issues such as determinants of public attitudes towards refugees, the acculturation of newcomers in host societies, and representations of newcomers in public health advertisements (also with El Hazzouri).

Her work and its practical implications are an example of how research can inform policies designed to improve the resettlement experiences of newcomers to Canada.

"Leah's research epitomizes MRU’s commitment to meaningful community engagement and positive changemaking,” says Michael Quinn, vice-provost and associate vice-president, Academic at MRU.

Some of Hamilton’s findings are included in her book, A National Project: Syrian Refugee Resettlement in Canada, available as of last week, and co-edited with Luisa Veronis and Margaret Walton-Roberts. The book features 12 jointly funded research projects by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

"There is much to understand about the successful social and economic integration of newcomers and this research is both important and timely, said Ryan Parks, PhD, chair and associate professor in the Department of Management and Human Resources. "It shows that scholarship from Business Schools does not need to be so narrowly focused. Increasingly, our scholars are engaging with broader public policy and societal issues."

Discover more about how research at MRU is resulting in real change.

Aug. 11, 2020 — Peter Glenn

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