Millions of people worldwide leave their homes each year, driven by war, political or religious oppression, natural disaster, environmental destruction, and poverty. Are they all refugees under international law? Does Canada treat people fleeing from humanitarian crises—such as the genocide in South Sudan (Darfur since 2003) and Syria (2011 to present)—the same as victims of natural disasters, such as those left homeless in South Asia by the tsunami that struck in December 2004?

The legal definition distinguishes those who are genuine or bona fide refugees from those in search of better living and economic conditions.

• Refugee: a person who is forced to flee their home from persecution or other severe danger or risk to their life and who is outside their home country.
• Convention refugee: a person who meets the refugee definition in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.
• Refugee claimant or asylum seeker: a person who has fled their country and is asking for protection in another country.