The cost of processing, housing and helping people who come to Canada to claim asylum has been making headlines in recent months. Critics argue the process is “too costly” and “too long.” The Parliamentary Budget Officer reported that it costs up to $14,000 per asylum-seeker to go through what may end up being, according to the Immigration and Refugee Board, a 20-month process before a decision is made on whether the person is a refugee. Images of people crossing our border through irregular means in Quebec, and reports of overwhelmed temporary shelters, have helped fuel this debate.

These concerns are legitimate. While upfront costs exist, a longer view tells a different story — not of costs, but of benefits. Based on the 2016 census, we know that refugees —however they arrived in Canada, i.e., through resettlement or as asylum-seekers — have almost the same unemployment rate (nine per cent) as Canadians (six per cent), and earn as much (one-quarter make between $40,00 and and $80,000 a year). Thus, they pay the same taxes as everyone else. More telling, perhaps, is that after 20 years in Canada, refugees contribute more in income taxes than they received in public benefits and services (not counting all the other taxes they pay).

Refugees are also 10 years younger, on average, than Canadians, thereby helping to offset the costs associated with Canada’s aging population. Further, they are more likely than other newcomers to settle in smaller communities across Canada.

It’s true that some of these benefits will take time to materialize. Refugees must familiarize themselves with their new environments before they can find employment and contribute — socially and culturally — to their communities. But in the long term, spending money on asylum-seekers or refugees for their initial integration is not a cost, but an investment, because refugees ultimately contribute to Canada’s growth.

This “return on investment” argument may reassure some, but should we not be prepared to pay the costs of upholding our core values? No one questions the cost of elections, or to ensure children go to school. So is it acceptable to question the money required to correctly determine whether someone fears being tortured or killed in his or her home country? By doing so, we are implicitly putting a price on human life and dignity. Instead, should we not be proud that our country is protecting persecuted religious minorities, members of the LGBTQ community, and women who’ve survived rape?

We should never shy away from, or be ashamed of, such humanist arguments. Canadians are generous and compassionate, and a debate about numbers and costs overlooks the personal stories of those who seek asylum here. Telling individual stories of resilience, but also of human suffering, may convince many of us that our money is well spent, especially when it’s used to ensure Canada remains a safe haven for the most vulnerable.

In a world that’s increasingly interconnected, it’s irrational to think we can keep refugees away from our shores, especially when other countries take in many more than we do. There’s no point putting our heads in the sand; it’s better to face the reality and take the measures necessary to make the most from the situation at hand. We should invest in refugees from Day 1, so all in Canada benefit.

Jean-Nicolas Beuze is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ representative in Canada.

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