The Globe And Mail - Renowned international human-rights lawyer Irwin Cotler is nominating Syria’s famed White Helmets, a group of volunteer humanitarian workers Canada helped rescue from the war-torn country, for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Mr. Cotler, a former Liberal cabinet minister who helped co-ordinate last summer’s rescue effort with Israel, said he plans on nominating the White Helmets for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. 

The civil-defence organization, which has been credited with saving more than 100,000 civilians during Syria’s ongoing civil war, has been nominated for the international award before, but never won.

“They are the embodiment of what heroism and hope and the search for peace and our common humanity is all about,”  Mr. Cotler said in an interview with The Globe and Mail.

Canada sparked a daring overnight mission in July to evacuate 422 people – members of the White Helmets and their families – from Syria, where they faced increasing danger as the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad encircled them this summer.

The Israel Defence Forces led the rescue effort, which was done at the request of Canada, Britain and Germany, who all committed to resettling evacuees. The United States also supported the operation.

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Why do some sponsorships succeed while others fail?

What if cultural differences were the root of the disputes?

How do private sponsors and refugees navigate through cultural differences to meet halfway?

The Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP) will try to answer these answers through a webinar.

The following topics will be covered:

• Dimensions of culture

• Aspects of cultural differences

• Gender Roles

• Family dynamics

• Linguistic and non-linguistic communication

• Differences within the “similarly perceived cultures”

• Refugee experience

• Where do we meet?

Date: Wednesday, 31st of November, 2018

Time: 2:00 P.M to 4:00 P.M

To register for this webinar, please click here.

What should sponsors consider when the sponsorship period comes to an end?

When should they start preparing for month 13?

Moreover, what services and financial assistance are available to newcomers once they are “left on their own”?

These are the kind of questions that the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP) will try to answer through a webinar.

Date: Tuesday, 30th of october, 2018

Time: 1:00 p.m to 2:30 p.m

To register for this webinar, please click here.

TheStar- Since its 2016 inception, Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) has vetted and developed skill profiles for more than 10,000 refugees now in Lebanon and Jordan — 30 per cent of them with an undergrad degree or above and half with intermediate to full English proficiency.

With an established — and still expanding — talent pool as well as backing from the United Nations Refugee Agency, the project has reached out to Canadian employers and is using Canada as the testing ground to bring in skilled refugees on work permits and maybe even as permanent residents.

TBB is partnering with the Canadian government, the UN and RefugePoint, an agency that promotes refugee resettlement and self-reliance, to divert refugees in Kenya and the Middle East to Canada through a pilot program.

The pilot has the support of Ontario, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and the Yukon.

All candidates must go through the same stringent requirements to qualify.

Kris Braun, Bonfire’s director of engineering, said the company is looking to double its size and would require a number of talented software developers, who are in short supply.

“Canada’s tech industry is growing at a fast rate and we struggle to find good (job) candidates,” he said.

“Refugees are trying to rebuild their lives after fleeing wars and conflicts. Part of it is to hold meaningful work. This is a win-win for us.”

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