Canadian Council for Refugees

The Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) is a national, non-governmental umbrella organisation based in Montréal, whose mission is to champion the rights, protection, settlement, and sponsorship of refugees and other vulnerable migrants in Canada and globally.
Founded in 1978, the CCR brings together hundreds of member organisations spanning Canada which work with refugees, newcomer settlement, advocacy, and service provision.

Its core activities include:

• Monitoring and analysing refugee, immigration, and settlement policy, as well as producing research and public-education materials targeted to members and the broader public.
• Advocacy and public mobilization through statements, campaigns and consultations directed at governments, media and other stakeholders on issues such as family reunification, detention, statelessness, and access to protection.
• Building networks and facilitating exchange of information among member agencies, hosting national consultations, working groups and publishing resources that support best practices in settlement and refugee assistance.

Strengths & Practical Use
For newcomers, settlement workers, sponsoring groups, and civil society actors across Canada, the CCR provides a broad-based vantage on national-level issues affecting refugees and migrants, together with tools to engage policy, understand systemic obstacles, and link up with networks of practice. Its advocacy-oriented role balances service-delivery gaps by focusing on structural change, rights protections and emerging issues.
Limitations & Considerations

• The CCR does not itself directly provide case-by-case settlement services, legal representation or front-line social work. Those needing individual support must engage local settlement or legal aid agencies.
• While national in mandate, local conditions, language supports, service availability and client-needs differ significantly across provinces and territories; the CCR’s resources should be adapted in local context.
• As an umbrella organisation, its role is more strategic, policy-facing and network-oriented than direct service-oriented, which means users seeking immediate practical settlement supports may need supplementary resources.