Local agencies identified a pressing need and well-trained Syrian pharmacists were ready to respond. This not only helps a group of people move forward with their lives; it means pharmacies stay open providing essential medicine to residents. It’s a local solution to a global problem.

How can a pharmacy in Nova Scotia help ease a global challenge?

Back in January, a group of internationally-trained pharmacists landed at the Halifax airport. Among them were Syrian refugees who had been unable to practise their profession while living in Jordan. Today, after completing a brief period of supervised practice, they are providing care to people across Nova Scotia.

Their journey was made possible through an innovative pilot program led by the Nova Scotia Pharmacy Regulator and its partners. Faced with a shortage of pharmacists, they created a pathway to bring qualified professionals to Canada and help them quickly enter the workforce.

Amidst labour shortages, such creative thinking has potential to make a real difference for communities that need skilled workers. For these refugees, it’s an opportunity to apply their skills and move forward with their lives.

This lesson from Nova Scotia is simple, but too often lost in the global discussion of refugees. Given the opportunity, refugees bring needed skills, expertise and strong potential. They contribute to and support the communities that welcome them.

Today, more than 41 million people have been forced to flee their home countries and are now living as refugees worldwide. The vast majority want to go home, but cannot due to conflicts and danger. As a result, almost 70 per cent have been living in exile for at least five years. For many, it’s much longer than that.

Tracey Maulfair is the representative in Canada for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Handout photograph

This isn’t in anyone’s interest. Millions of refugees have their futures on hold, waiting for the chance to work, learn, and belong.

In June, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih outlined the goal of reducing by half the number of refugees in long-term displacement who rely on humanitarian assistance over the next decade. That’s eight million people who will be assisted to safely return to their homes, find meaningful employment or get an education. 

This is more important than ever as the international community marks the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention. It is a reminder that protecting refugees is not only about providing safety. It is also about creating opportunities for people forced to flee to rebuild their lives and contribute to society.

This is a collective effort. It will require states to pursue peaceful solutions that allow people to voluntarily return home. It also means expanding access to jobs, health care, and education so refugees can move beyond survival and rebuild their lives. The private sector and financial institutions have a role, too, helping strengthen jobs and local markets, providing better opportunities for refugees and local populations. 

This work ultimately requires a shift in thinking from viewing refugees from a perspective of fear or burden to recognising their potential and contributions they can make to communities. 

For countries like Canada, this can mean expanding separate immigration pathways that make use of refugees’ skills, alongside life-saving resettlement and asylum programs.

Data from the last Canadian census shows that refugees are good for this country’s economy. Most arrive in their prime working years, helping balance our aging population and supporting long-term economic sustainability. Also, a higher percentage of refugees than Canadian-born workers are employed in key sectors in need of employees: manufacturing, utilities, health care, and trades. 

They also support our communities. One in three refugees in Canada give back to the places that welcomed them, by volunteering in schools, hospitals, faith groups, and grassroots sports leagues. 

At a global level, such solutions can seem abstract. But they’re already at work here as the Nova Scotia example shows. Local agencies identified a pressing need and well-trained Syrian pharmacists were ready to respond. 

This not only helps a group of people move forward with their lives; it means pharmacies stay open providing essential medicine to residents. It’s a local solution to a global problem, grounded in potential. 

Being forced to flee should not be a life sentence. With creative thinking and collective action, we can turn displacement into opportunity for refugees and the communities that welcome them.

Tracey Maulfair is the representative in Canada for UNHCR, the United Nations’ Refugee Agency.

Lessons for global refugee challenges can be found in a Nova Scotia pharmacy