Trudeau says first flight carrying refugees arrives Thursday

The first flight is scheduled to land at 9:15 p.m. Thursday evening, while a second plane is scheduled for Saturday in Montreal. Some of them will take flights from Toronto and Montreal to destinations elsewhere in Canada.

But officials are still hopeful the federal government can hit its amended target of bringing in 10,000 by the end of the year, with another 15,000 following in the early months of 2016.

“Resettling refugees demonstrates our commitment to Canadians and the world that Canada understands we can and must do more”, said Trudeau.

Instead, the minister deferred to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is expected to divulge some of those details at a press conference later Wednesday. Since Nov. 4, 416 Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada.

Privately sponsored refugees will then be taken to the families awaiting them, while those sponsored by the government will be brought to temporary accommodations.

He also said the government is reassuring doctors and the medical community at large that the newcomers will have full health coverage. No one from Citizenship and Immigration responded to a Global News query Wednesday as to when those cuts will be reversed.

“It does not appear overt racism is behind the reluctance some feel about welcoming the Syrian refugees to Canada, but, for a minority, it appears fear and bigotry are acceptable reasons to object to this plan”, said Forum Research President, Dr. Lorne Bozinoff.

Immigration Minister John McCallum said Wednesday that a logjam with the government of Lebanon in particular has now been cleared, which should make it easier for visas to be allocated.

While at least 65 per cent of Canadians want to welcome refugees, said McCallum, he’s sensitive to the issue around prioritizing social assistance like housing and mental health services, and applying for citizenship.

The relative speed of processing refugees in those two countries partially offsets significant challenges in Turkey, the third country Canada hopes to draw Syrian refugees from.

“We never put all our eggs in one basket”, McCallum said.

The preliminary budget for the program is as much as $698 million.

McCallum said the boost of $3.6 million will help ensure the thousands of Syrians coming to Canada will receive the support they need.

With files from the Canadian Press.