"Refugees Welcome" demonstrations were held across the country Saturday to push for changes to Canada's immigration system.
The rally for refugee rights attracted about 100 people to the Human Right's Monument in downtown Ottawa.
"It's very important to bring awareness and to show that Canadians care, especially in bigger cities, and to not let this issue go unheard," said Silviu Riley, one of the organizers.
Chanting "our home is your home," and "Refugees Welcome," demonstrators held signs and discussed the need for Canada to ease immigration policies to allow more refugees into Canada. Although the event aimed to raise awareness about refugees in general, most of the conversation centered around the growing migrant crisis in Europe.
This peaceful demonstration comes just a few days after a photograph of a dead toddler on a beach opened drew worldwide attention to the migrant crisis, fueled largely by refugees fleeing the bloody civil war in Syria.
The Canadian government says it has resettled 2,300 Syrian refugees in the last two years, with plans to resettle another 10,000 within the next few years.
Critics say the government needs to act faster and open the doors to more migrants trying to find peace and security in Canada.
"there needs to be a government commitment to bring 10,00 Syrians to Canada this year, not over the next several years," said Alex Neve, the Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada.
"This needs to be followed-yup by further commitments after that."
For Asmaa Rachid who came to Canada from Syria in 2005, the government needs to do more than just resettle more refugees.
"I think Canada and the U.S. have to do more to do something about the crisis. They have to go to the roots and find a solution for this."
