The Jeanne Sauvé Foundation is pleased to invite you to attend Refugee Policies and Grassroots Knowledge: A Public Dialogue between Government and Civil Society on Tuesday, June 7, from 5:30-7:30 pm, at the Samuel Bronfman Building Atrium (1590 Docteur-Penfield Avenue).

As the closing event for the Building Inclusive Communities for Refugees: A Public Leadership Challenge series, the 2015-17 Sauvé Fellows will host a policy dialogue on the topic of refugee integration in the Montreal context.

To read the Foundation’s press release, click here.

The need for effective public policies informed by grassroots expertise and partnerships is increasingly acute, as the challenges surrounding the issue of refugee integration become more complex. This event will bring together leaders from government and civil society for an evening of candid and constructive exchange.

Our esteemed panelists include:

• Government of Canada: Himmat Shinhat, Director of Outreach, Syrian Refugee Resettlement, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada
• Government of Québec: Danièle Boudreau, Director of Policy and Participatory and Inclusive Programs, Ministry of Immigration, Diversity, and Inclusion
• City of Montréal: Marc Rivest, Team Lead, Développement social et affaires interculturelles, Direction de la diversité sociale
• Civil Society: Wafaa El-loubani, refugee support worker/private sponsor, Charitas Founder
• Civil Society: Rick Goldman, Lawyer, Committee to Aid Refugees, Just Solutions legal clinic
• Civil Society: Jenny Jeanes, Action Réfugiés Montréal and Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes

Our goal is to reinforce the spirit of collaborative dialogue on these issues between government and civil society, and to create new opportunities for policy-making grounded in grassroots knowledge. Following a panel moderated by Sauvé Fellow Jon McPhedran Waitzer and co-hosted by Sauvé Fellow Sabrina Sassi, we will invite all event participants to engage in an open exchange on the current challenges and opportunities surrounding refugee policy.

Panelists will speak mostly in English – the Sauvé Fellows’ shared language – but contributions in both English and French will be welcomed from all participants.

Please note that registration for this event is mandatory. To register for this free event, click here.

This event is presented in partnership with Concordia’s University of the Streets Café program.

Photography by the British Broadcast Corporation, BBC (2015)