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Tuesday, April 7, 2026 - 12pm to 2:30pm

(Lunch provided, free event, RSVP required)

The Ballroom, 519 Church Street, Toronto ON M4Y 2C9

Event Description:

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. To honour the 1985 Singh Decision and reflect upon the state of refugee rights in Canada in a time of rising anti-immigrant sentiment and divisive rhetoric among some leaders, we borrow the title of the Canadian Council for Refugees-led “Better Together” campaign to frame our discussion on the state of refugee rights in Canada in 2026. Cuts to refugee health care and new legislation tabled in Bills C-12 and C-2 threaten to roll back refugee protections and supports – including the right to a refugee hearing for many potential claimants – and run counter to Canada’s stated commitments to be an open and welcoming country. Our event, including the voices of refugees and prominent activists in the fight for refugee rights will reflect upon and encourage our audience to continue the struggle for the rights of refugee rights in Canada. 

We will also have petitions and photo-opportunities with pro-refugee messaging for those who wish to participate. An exhibit of collages, showcasing the artistry, skills, and stories of refugee claimants reflecting on themes of community, expression and refugee rights in honour of the 1984 Singh decision. This event is part of events organized by the Toronto Planning Committee for Refugee Rights Day in the City of Toronto.

Event Chair: Debbie Douglas, Executive Director, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI)

Speakers:

1. Professor Sharry Aiken, Queen’s University Law School, Former President and Current Co-Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee, Canadian Council for Refugees
2. Lisa Duplessis, Director, Programs & Community Services,  the 519
3. Vanessa Redditt, Physician, Crossroads Clinic, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto
   
   

Speaker Biographies:

Sharry Aiken is a law professor and founding academic director of the Graduate Diploma in Immigration and Citizenship Law at Queen’s University.  Both her scholarship and advocacy focus on the inequalities embedded in Canadian immigration and refugee law.  She has represented the Canadian Council of Refugees (CCR) in a number of interventions before the Supreme Court of Canada and currently serves as co-chair of the CCR’s Legal Affairs Committee, president of FCJ Refugee Centre and co-editor-in-chief of the PKI Global Justice Journal, published by Queen’s Law.

Lisa Duplessis (Link to organization bio (external link) )

Dr. Vanessa Redditt is a family physician at the Crossroads Refugee Clinic, a specialized primary care clinic for refugees at Women’s College Hospital, and a lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Department of Community and Family Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She also works at a clinic for refugee claimants and uninsured migrants at Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre and with Inner City Health Associates at Jessie's Centre, focused on care of teen moms and their babies, as well as other refugee/migrant focused sites. She's a steering committee member of the Canadian Refugee Health Network. Vanessa’s clinical care, research, teaching, and advocacy focus on enhancing the health of communities facing marginalization and oppression, particularly refugee newcomers and migrants. 
 

Event Sponsors:

In addition to the member organizations of the Toronto Planning Committee for Refugee Rights Day, we gratefully acknowledge the specific funding and in-kind support of the following organizations and departments for this event:

• Department of Criminology & Graduate Program in Criminology and Social Justice, Toronto Metropolitan University
• Criminology Course Union (CCU) & Students of CRM 303: Immigration & Refugee Protection, Toronto Metropolitan University
• Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI)
• Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Gender and Migration, Toronto Metropolitan University
• Global Migration Institute, Toronto Metropolitan University
• The 519
• Immigration and Settlement Studies (ISS) MA Program, Toronto Metropolitan University
• Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT)
• Faculty of Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University

Events the same day, in the same space: 

You may also wish to register for events in the same space that day, the 3pm networking session & Together We Thrive Party (external link)  beginning at 5pm.