The Russian Invasion and Ukrainian refugees: Global Comparisons and Canada’s Role

At the time of writing, over 1 million Ukrainians have fled Russian bombs, shells, and bullets. It is the largest displacement of European refugees since the 1990s Balkan wars and the largest refugee movement since the Syrian Civil War. The panel will explore Ukrainian refugees in the context of broader global refugee flows and it will reflect on what Canada and Canadians can do.

Speakers: Randall Hansen is Director of the Munk School’s Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, as well as the Global Migration Lab. He is Full Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Global Migration. He served as Interim Director of the Munk School from 2017 to 2020. Hansen works on immigration and citizenship, demography and population policy and the effects of war on civilians. His published works include Disobeying Hitler: German Resistance after Operation Valkyrie (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), Sterilized by the State: Eugenics, Race and the Population Scare in 20th Century North America (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014), Fire and Fury: the Allied Bombing of Germany (Penguin, 2009), and Citizenship and Immigration in Post-War Britain (Oxford University Press, 2000).

Lama Mourad is an Assistant Professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University. Her research interests are focused on the intersection of forced migration, local governance, and the politics of borders, with a regional focus on the Middle East. Professor Mourad previously held fellowships at Perry World House, University of Pennsylvania, and with the Middle East Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Her research has been supported by a number of institutions and agencies, including the Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Her work has been published in both academic and public outlets, including the Journal of Refugee Studies, Middle East Law and Governance, Forced Migration Studies, the European Journal of International Relations as well as The Atlantic, Lawfare, The Washington Post’s Monkey Cage, and The Toronto Star.

Craig Damian Smith is a Senior Research Associate at the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration Program at Ryerson University, a Research Affiliate at the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University, and a Senior Associate at the Global Migration Lab at the Munk School. His research examines the international politics of irregular migration, global migration governance, and refugee integration. Craig has a PhD in Political Science from the University of Toronto. Learn more at www.craigdamiansmith.ca.