This year marks the 40th anniversary of the private sponsorship program, which has helped thousands of refugees adjust to their lives in Canada.

Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, will discuss the impact of the program on Canadian multiculturalism, and the nation’s commitment to refugee resettlement over the years, in a free public lecture Wednesday, Feb. 13, at the SoCA Armouries.

The event will run 4:45 to 6 p.m. and is hosted by Windsor Law; professor Anneke Smit will moderate.

Hussen, member of Parliament for the riding of York South-Weston, was born and raised in Somalia and immigrated to Canada in 1993. Before his election in 2015, he served as president of the Canadian Somali Congress and practised law in Toronto.

Following the lecture, attendees will participate in a question-and-answer session and reception with the minister. Space is limited; secure a place by registering online.

The event is organized by Windsor Law chapters of the Muslim Law Association, the Black Law Students Association, and the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers.

Directly following the session at the SoCA Armouries, Women’s Enterprise Skills Training (WEST) of Windsor will also welcome Hussen for a Black History Month address at its downtown facility, suite 201, 647 Ouellette Ave. at 6:30 p.m.

The event will offer the community a chance to celebrate Black culture and to learn more about the important roles Black Canadians have played and continue to play in the Windsor region.