Ep 40 - "We never lose with refugees": Canada's most important open door

<p><strong>What does it look like to open a door that changes everything?</strong></p><p>In this episode of Undercurrents, we trace the remarkable story of how Canada became a world leader in refugee welcome — and why that legacy matters more now than ever.</p><p>Host Ken Ogasawara sits down with <strong>Mike Molloy</strong>, retired Foreign Service officer and one of the architects of the world&#39;s first private refugee sponsorship program, to hear how a small clause buried in a 1976 immigration act became a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the Indo-China wars. And how MCC became a foundational partner in making it all work.</p><p>We also hear from <strong>Kaylee Perez</strong>, MCC&#39;s Global Migration and Resettlement Strategic Initiatives Lead, who brings both professional expertise and deeply personal roots to this work. Her insight: <em>the antidote to fear is proximity.</em></p><p>Together, their stories remind us that welcoming the stranger isn&#39;t a radical idea, it&#39;s foundational to our faith expression.</p><p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p><ul><li>Why Bill Janzen&#39;s &quot;drop the rope&quot; approach to government negotiation built something extraordinary</li><li>What <em>Hearts of Freedom</em> — 170+ interviews with former refugees — reveals about gratitude, belonging, and Canadian identity</li><li>Why 66% of Canadians still support refugee welcome, even if you&#39;d never know it from the comments section</li><li>How the <a href="https://mcc.org/better-together" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>We&#39;re Better Together</strong> campaign</a> is equipping everyday people to shift the conversation in their own communities</li></ul><p><strong>The data is clear.</strong> Refugees strengthen Canada&#39;s workforce, arrive ready to contribute, see their incomes grow, and become citizens at remarkable rates. But as Kaylee reminds us — this was never just about economics. It&#39;s about who we want to be.</p><p><strong>Ready to act?</strong></p><ul><li>Learn about refugee sponsorship at <strong>mcc.org</strong></li><li>Join the <strong>We&#39;re Better Together</strong> campaign at the Canadian Council for Refugees: <a href="https://mcc.org/better-together" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://mcc.org/better-together</a></li><li>Explore the <em>Hearts of Freedom</em> project: <strong>heartsoffreedom.org</strong></li><li>Use the discussion guide on our website to bring this conversation to your church or community group</li><li>Send us a note at <a href="mailto:podcast@mcco.ca" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">podcast@mcco.ca</a> — we&#39;d love to hear from you</li></ul><p><a href="https://mcc.org/our-stories/undercurrents-ep-40-we-never-lose-refugees" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Transcription is here.</a></p><p><a href="https://mcc.org/media/document/152143" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Discussion guide here.</a></p><p><em>Undercurrents is sponsored in part by </em><a href="https://kindredcu.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><em>Kindred Credit Union.</em></a></p><p><strong>Credits:</strong></p><p>Production support from Christen Kong</p><p>Logo artwork by Jesse Bergen</p><p>Theme song by Brian MacMillan</p><p>Executive produced by Sandra Reimer.</p>