Feds provide UNHCR with $100 million for humanitarian aid

Syrians will be coming to Canada from refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. “This is another sign that Canada is on the side of refugees, it is on the side of humanitarian assistance”.

McCallum, in an interview with The Vancouver Sun, said his officials will brief him in coming days on the loans program and present him with options to change it.

Protecting the safety, security, and health of Canadians and refugees is a key factor in guiding the Government of Canada’s plan to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees as quickly as possible – while also taking the time to do it right.

The Canadian government had also pledged to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year but announced Tuesday that it would push back the deadline due to security concerns in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris earlier this month. Officials say Canadians have until December 31 to make donations, which will be equaled to a ceiling of US$75 million (CA$100 million).

“Those funds will be matched to where those needs are greatest”.

“For Canada it would be about 11 million refugees – 11 million refugees!”

He said people who were previously supportive of the refugee plan “had a few more questions. That’s what Canada would have to absorb”, said Dion. “The organizations providing support will get the support to provide the services they need”. “We are proud to support this important effort that will provide help and hope to over 25,000 of the world’s most vulnerable citizens”. “This funding to UNHCR will help to make these decisions a little less hard by helping to meet basic needs”.

In an email Thursday, Citizenship and Immigration said Minister John McCallum put the number of permanent residence visas that have been processed for Syrian refugees at just over 900, but said that in some cases exit visas have not been obtained.

The money will go toward providing food, clothing, medicine, schooling and other necessities for refugees in Europe, Syria, Iraq and Egypt.

“On behalf of High Commissioner Antonio Guterres, I would like to express our deepest gratitude to Canadians and their government for the funding announced yesterday by Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie”, said Furio De Angelis, UNHCR Representative in Canada.