Rotary Club of Oak Bay Meeting 21 April, 2015 - Katie DeRosa on Asylum Seekers

Reporter: Renate Gibbs

Renate busy taking notes, and Bill with an incongruous armful

Photos: Steve Sharlow and David Sills

Steve Sharlow kindly stepped into the role of MC, citing the value of our Rotary Magazine, given that it is Rotary Magazine Month.  He shared how a past article on the topic of “transitions for retirees” stimulated his conversations with others.

O’Canada was sung, and Grace provided by Perry Bamji with the theme of appreciation, for 164 countries that benefit from Rotary Clubs.

Guests:

Peter Laurie introduced guests in attendance: Katherine Duncan, (a former Oak Bay Club member); Rosemary and John Knechtel  from Hamilton and Ancarter, Ontario; Kristi Foster with Rotaract, and Katie DeRosa, today’s speaker.

Announcements:

• Steve Sharlow let us in on the secret Facebook question of whose shoes were in the photo. Lance Shaver guessed correctly that it was none other than Peter Laurie’s shoes.
• Joan Peggs collected the Spring Spectacular newspaper clippings for George Jay School, and encouraged any Flag monies collected to go to David Maxwell.
• Heather Aked encouraged all silent auction items to go directly to Leslie at Monterey Centre by May 5th.  
• The Victoria Hospital Foundation thanked the club for a generous donation to support a Blood Pressure monitor.  
• Heather requested we let Brian Lamb know our intent for next year’s membership as the report for our actual numbers are reflected in our fees.  A July  post-dated cheque is due by the first week of May, 2015.
• Neil Rawnsley reported that our progress with  the Car Raffle is going well; sharing his thanks for the drivers and volunteers who filled shifts to date – we will need to cover 3 shifts during the TC Run.
  
  
  
• Jim Force thanked John Jordan for his work in Rwanda, and  John thanked the club for the $2,500 donated by our members, on behalf of the students who would have an opportunity to attend university because of this amount.
  
  
  
• Joan Firkins encouraged greater club participation for the New Orleans Dinner as this event is just 2 weeks away.  44 more tickets need to be sold, and more silent auction items are needed urgently.
  
  

       

Guest speaker

Vicky Scott introduced the guest speaker, Katie DeRosa. Katie is a journalist with the Times Colonist, a District Rotary Winner, and a Global Applicant for the London School of Economics.

Katie opened with the story of the MV Sun Sea, carrying nearly 500, which arrived on our shores in August, 2010.  Asylum seekers  are now affected by  Bill C31, the new “Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act,” which became law in December 2012. Amongst other provisions, this Act authorizes mandatory detention for groups of refugees without documentation, for 12 months, without review. (For Katie's Times Colonist article click here.)

The tragedy of  refugees escaping Northern Africa and trying to cross the Mediterranean for Europe, but dying at sea in increasing numbers, due to unseaworthy boats and cut-backs in funding for  water rescue operations by Italy, has been in the news lately.  To date, the incentive to leave war torn or impoverished countries for a chance at freedom in Europe, has left over 1700 dead in the first 4 months of 2015, compared to 2400 who died in  2014.

Katie spent some time in Australia, studying its refugee policies and shared her video clip of a refugee interviewed in Sydney, Australia, in "community detention" in a private home while his case for refugee status is being  reviewed.  This refugee is a participant in the "Refugee Art Project" which seeks to provide a creative outlet for detainees and enables them to tell their story through art. There is a significant mental health trauma due to the indefinite wait for a host country to accept them. (For Katie's article on this person click here.)

The Australian  government has sought out countries to take the asylum seekers, who are intercepted at sea, through monetary incentives. Refugees can volunteer to resettle in Cambodia and Papua New Guinea.

Katie questioned Canada’s shift from being a nation of immigrants, to now having laws creating barriers to those seeking refugee status in our country.  Questions from the audience included aspects of the Express Entry Visa for skilled immigrants; the implications of human smuggling and trafficking, and criminal elements. A thought to ponder is how can the world respond to the atrocities to which  various countries subject  their people, that result in such desperate attempts to flee, despite the risk to their lives.  Katie promised to use her time at the London School of Economics to find the solutions to this challenging problem!

Naida Hyde thanked Katie for the informative talk on an important topic.

Steve Sharlow closed the meeting without the Queen!

Katie and her Rotary Mug with Steve S.