Ontario discriminates against refugees in obtaining a driver’s license
The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal ruled that a policy forcing many refugees to wait a year before being able to pass a test to obtain a Class G license is “discriminatory” and “arbitrary”, adding that this policy jeopardizes refugees even more as they are already facing poverty, linguistic barriers and other challenges. This decision is the result of legal action undertaken by a refugee, Shyesh Al-Turki, who worked as a driver before escaping the civil war in Syria. After arriving in Canada, he expected to do the same job, but instead encountered a bureaucratic obstacle which forced him to seek social assistance instead of earning a living behind a steering wheel. As a result of the ruling, Ontario must immediately stop asking Convention Refugees to provide official documentation that verifies their driving experience in their country of origin.
#refugees, #Ontario