The Complicated Health Journey of Refugees - Mental Health and Discrimination
Kateregga Raymond Calvin arrived in Montreal as a refugee after fleeing Uganda (2). He hoped to live safely in what he saw as a peaceful country. However, one year later, he was living on the streets. He initially found an apartment but faced extreme discrimination from other tenants based on his skin colour and accent. When he raised these concerns with his landlord, he was told to move out. Kateregga was forced to move between the cold outdoors and shelters for more than a month before he was able to secure housing again (2).
Refugee health is often discussed in terms of vaccination, nutritional challenges, and other physical health concerns. However, the challenges refugees face due to discrimination within an unfamiliar culture can also be incredibly harmful (4). Discrimination (whether direct, witnessed, or vicarious) can have meaningful effects not only on day-to-day quality of life but also on mental health (4).
Approximately 51% of racialized individuals in Canada reported experiencing racism between 2021 and 2024 (1). Race-based discrimination in Canada is associated with decreased life satisfaction, reduced economic achievement, and poorer mental wellbeing (4). Refugees are likely affected even more, with refugee men reporting higher levels of discrimination compared to their economic immigrant peers. As a result, the refugee journey can be incredibly complex, full of massive disruptions and human rights violations prior to migration, and by financial instability, underemployment, and racism after arrival in Canada (4). Accessing mental health resources is often an additional challenge, as language barriers persist and some refugees are unjustly denied care due to healthcare providers’ lack of awareness regarding refugee health entitlements (3). These cumulative hardships and traumas also significantly affect refugee children, who show higher levels of aggression and emotional challenges compared to their peers (4).
Taken together, refugee health is multifaceted and often extends far beyond diseases and laboratory values. As a family physician, it is critically important to attend to the social determinants of health in a refugee patient’s life, alongside their mental wellbeing. Awareness of available refugee-specific resources is therefore essential, as is providing culturally competent care so patients feel comfortable working with physicians throughout the immigration process (3). Interpretation services are particularly important, along with an understanding of Interim Federal Health Program coverage (3). Services such as 211 can be helpful to keep in mind, in addition to other supports offered by the Alberta Government: https://www.alberta.ca/support-programs-refugees.
References
1. Canada PHA of. Government of Canada [Internet]. / Gouvernement du Canada; 2026 [cited 2026 Feb 3]. Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/canadian-immunization-guide-part-3-vaccination-specific-populations/page-10-immunization-persons-new-canada.html
2. Laframboise K, Carpenter P. “you’re not wanted”: Newcomer to Canada says racism forced him onto streets [Internet]. Global News; 2024 [cited 2026 Feb 9]. Available from: https://globalnews.ca/news/10860362/refugees-racism-quebec-legault-trump/
3. Hanafi S, Kronick R, Rousseau C. The mental health of refugee claimants and undocumented migrants. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. 2025 Mar 28;71(2):149–62. doi:10.1177/07067437251316454
4. Williams MT, Khanna Roy A, MacIntyre M-P, Faber S. The traumatizing impact of racism in Canadians of colour. Current Trauma Reports. 2022 Mar 24;8(2):17–34. doi:10.1007/s40719-022-00225-5