Canada in the Global Refugee Regime

With global cooperation on refugee protection under mounting strain, understanding the role of individual states has never been more urgent. Canada in the Global Refugee Regime offers the first comprehensive look at Canada’s involvement with the institutions and norms of this regime and the politics that shape refugee protection worldwide.

Bringing together leading experts from multiple disciplines, this volume explores how Canada has influenced global refugee responses and where its impact has been more muted. Chapters examine the country’s actions in international forums; its resettlement and sponsorship initiatives; its engagement in key regional contexts such as Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East; and the links between refugee policy and foreign policy. Contributors reflect on the relationship between Canada’s international leadership and its domestic practices, offering a nuanced account that moves beyond simplistic narratives of benevolence.

Canada in the Global Refugee Regime invites readers to rethink the regime itself: not as a fixed system, but as a contested space shaped by the interests and actions of states and other participants. It is an essential resource for scholars, students, and policy actors seeking to understand how a single state navigates, contributes to, and is shaped by the global politics of refugee protection.

Nathan Benson is director of strategy at Pathways International and the University of Ottawa Refugee Hub.

James Milner is professor of political science at Carleton University and project director of the Local Engagement Refugee Research Network.

Delphine Nakache is professor in the Faculty of Law and University Research Chair on Migrant Protection and International Law at the University of Ottawa.