Invitation to the 7th Roundtable of the Bonn Platform for Forced Migration Studies

With its multicultural model of society and its pluralistic immigration policy, Canada has been regarded as an international benchmark for decades. The country has long played a pioneering role, particularly in the area of refugee resettlement – for example, through innovative programmes such as the private refugee sponsorship scheme introduced in the 1970s, which has been recognised internationally as a model and widely adopted. Together with its managed, points-based immigration mechanisms, all this has earned Canada a reputation as a country with an outstanding ‘culture of welcome’, which has also been the subject of intense debate in Germany. In a North American comparison, Canada is frequently seen as the “more liberal counter-model” to the United States, particularly against the backdrop of more restrictive developments in the North American context since Donald Trump’s re-election in 2017.

The lecture by Dagmar Soennecken (Professor at York University, Canada) examines the extent to which this picture still holds true in the context of recent political and social developments. The focus is on changes in the management of migration and displacement, shifts in political rhetoric following Mark Carney’s election, and new tensions between domestic political interests, humanitarian obligations and economic pressures. Drawing on current reforms – including the passage of Bill C-21 – and political debates, the talk will analyse whether and how Canada’s approach is transforming, and to what extent external and internal dynamics are driving this change. The presentation thus explores the question of whether the ‘better’ North America is increasingly a thing of the past.

The discussion will be led by Petra Bendel, Professor at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, where she heads the Migration, Refugee and Integration Research (MFI) and is a founding member of the Centre for Human Rights (CHREN).

The event and discussion are open to all interested parties from the worlds of research and practice. We look forward to your participation and would like to invite you to a small reception afterwards (from 6.30 pm) to continue the discussions in a relaxed atmosphere.

Venue: Banquet Hall in the main building of the University of Bonn

Please register by 28 April 2026 here:

https://terminplaner6.dfn.de/b/64081c58e5fe1a3849d07277831f674c-1689817

Please feel free to forward this invitation to colleagues and friends who might be interested in the round table!