Canada doubles its resettlement space for human rights defenders

On July 25, 2023, the Honourable Minister Sean Fraser announced the expansion of the global human rights defenders stream, which has doubled from 250 to 500 for human right defenders and their family members.

The human rights defender stream was initiated in July 2021. Canada became one of the first countries to offer a dedicated permanent pathway for human rights defenders and has announced that they will resettle human rights defenders and their families through the Government Assisted Refugees Program.

The Government of Canada works together with Front Line Defenders, and Canadian and international partners such as the United Nations Refugee Agency, to identity human rights defenders facing security risks and in need of resettlement. This initiative has paid a particular focus on people with a heightened risk, such as women, journalists, and LGBTQ2 human rights defenders.