Canada in the Global Refugee Regime

A timely, critical exploration of Canada’s complex and consequential role in global refugee protection.

Rethinking the regime not as a fixed system but as a contested space shaped by states’ interests and actions, Canada and the Global Refugee Regime is the first comprehensive examination of Canada’s involvement with the institutions, norms, and politics of refugee protection worldwide.

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.