TMU's “We’re Better Together: Our Canada Includes Immigrants and Refugees!” Campaign

This 2026-2027 academic year - beginning with students in Criminology’s Fall CRM 360: Criminalizing Global Migration course- several campus partners are engaged in a “We're Better Together: Our Canada includes Immigrants and Refugees!” campaign. Our efforts are inspired by a national campaign  (external link) led by the Canadian Council for Refugees and partners across the country. Our goals are to combat racism, hate and exclusion and build more inclusive communities by engaging in concrete actions to build solidarity and support newcomers in our community. We invite you to get involved by participating in one or more of the initiatives below!

In addition to joining the activities below, one small way to take action and show your support for immigrants and refugees in Canada is to join the national campaign as an individual (external link)  and/or an organization (external link) .  If you wish to stay informed about our activities you  (google form) can sign-up for occasional updates (as our capacity permits (external link) ). If you want to reach us directly you can write to us.

Our faculty lead is John Carlaw (Criminology) and our student lead, Kristen Cordeiro (external link)  (CRM 303 W2026 alumna, CRM 360 F2026 student, and 2026-27 WOCINLAW President & CCU Fourth Year Rep). Core members of our team include representatives from campus-based organizations at the bottom of this page.

Fall 2026 TMU Walk with Uprooted People in support of FCJ Refugee Centre        

This November several teams from across campus will participate in a solidarity walk and fundraising initiative to support the FCJ Refugee Centre (external link) , from where we borrow the  (PDF file) term walking with uprooted people (external link) . The centre is a Toronto-based organization that has been supporting refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants for 35 years. 

You can learn more about this initiative and donate, create or join a team, or sign up as an individual for the activity here (external link) . Our CRM 360 team can be found and supported here (external link) ! 100% of every tax-deductible donation backs FCJ Refugee Centre’s work to challenge systemic barriers and uphold the dignity and rights of people seeking safety.  

This is CRM 360’s second year engaging in solidarity activities with the centre, while others such as the Global Migration Institute have participated in walks and rides in support of the Centre since 2021. The Centre has recently been hosting Criminology MA placement students and collaborating with migration-focused classes.

To join us on November 25th please create a page (external link)  under our campaign and  (google form) then let us know you want to join us here (external link) !
 

September Cross Country Day of Action for Migrant Rights 

On September 20th we joined migrant rights organizations from across Canada (external link)  to demand justice for migrants and refugees and an end to exploitative and cruel policies and approaches. We walked alongside FCJ Refugee Centre in Toronto.       

Winter Coat Drive for Clients of FCJ Refugee Centre

FCJ Refugee Centre co-founder and refugee from El Salvador Francisco Rico Martinez (external link)  once said that “In Central America, we believe that the protection of refugees begins with food and shelter. In Canada, with winter coming we believe at our centre that the protection of refugees begins with winter clothes to provide a warm welcome.” With this welcome in mind and to honour Francisco’s legacy after his passing in 2021 (external link) , students in CRM 360 and other campus departments and student organizations are collecting winter coats for clients of the centre, many of whom arrive unprepared for Canadian Winter.

We invite classes, departments and clubs on campus to consider undertaking your own Winter Coat Drive!

You may drop Winter coats (coats only!) to  (google doc) several locations on the TMU campus (link updated more frequently) (external link)  , including:

• 8th floor Jorgenson Hall, Criminology Department (Box across from the elevators. And take a moment to take a picture at our photobooth!)
   

Photobooths and Social Media

The national campaign has a significant number of resources (external link)  , including a message guide, social media toolkit and print at home materials you can use to amplify “We’re Better Together!” messaging. On campus, some of our collaborating groups are conducting photobooths (e.g. 8th floor Jorgenson!) (external link)  with campaign messages and sharing news of our campaign. We invite you to use these resources to take and share photos of these messages on your own social media – be it individually, with your club/department, or class! If you do, please tag us (external link)  and the CCR (external link) .

November 18th: Standing up for Migrant and Refugee Rights!

Students engaged with the campaign have independently organized a panel discussion and networking session (external link)  to learn about contemporary immigration and refugee policies and policy changes and how they are impacting vulnerable members of our society.

April: Refugee Rights Day and Month! 

April 4th is Refugee Rights Day (external link)  in Canada! On April 4, 1985 the Supreme Court of Canada Singh decision (Singh v. Minister of Employment and Immigration) established that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the fundamental rights of refugees, guaranteeing them the right to an oral hearing. It ruled that everyone physically present in Canada is entitled to fundamental justice under Section 7. Building on prior efforts from CRM 303: Immigration and Refugee Protection in CJS and campus and community partners (external link)  in 2026, we plan to mark Refugee Rights Day in Canada again in April, 2027.

We encourage community members to learn about and support the following programs that support access to education for refugees and migrants on our campus, including through donations:

Sanctuary Scholars Program

World University Service of Canada Refugee Sponsorship Program