Event Date: September 13, 2017 - 12:00pm to 01:30pm
Location: FSS 4006, 120 University Private

Presented by CIPS and the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs

Running on Empty is the first full description of Canada’s resettlement of 70,000 refugees displaced by war, tyranny, and genocide in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos between 1975 and 1980. It describes the decisions of Canadian politicians and public servants who crafted the policies and designed and delivered the programs that underpinned the extraordinary response of thousands of Canadians to the massive humanitarian tragedy unfolding after the communist victory in Southeast Asia. It documents the exhausting work of Canadian officials who travelled to remote jungle camps, worked long days, and sometimes slept on their worktables while rats and snakes scurried around them. It highlights the efforts of Canada’s officials and soldiers to smooth the difficult transition refugees faced on arrival in Canada, showcasing the extraordinary contribution of Canadians from all walks of life to help refugees from the tropics settle in a winter land.

Join us on September 13, 2017 as authors Michael Molloy, Peter Duchinsky, Kurt F. Jensen, and Dr. Robert Shalka discuss this fitting memorial to all Indochinese refugees, who are — 35 to 40 years later — proud Canadians and valuable members of our diverse multicultural society. The authors will be joined by Jennifer Bond (Faculty of Law), Delphine Nakache (École de développement international et mondialisation), and Patti Tamara Lenard and Christina Clark-Kazak, both of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

This presentation is in English and open to the public.