Canada readies for first batch of refugees

Immigration Minister John McCallum was coy when questioned at a news conference Wednesday, but did allow that news could come very soon.

The men were separated 2 1/2 years ago when the Khabbaz families fled to Egypt, said Almasri, 44.

Mazen Khabbaz, 46, and his brother Ziad Khabbaz, 48, both embraced Rakan Almasri, who had waited with the crowd for more than four hours in order to welcome them. Charter planes are expected to be used for later flights.

With rumours circulating that a first planeload of Syrian refugees will touch down at Trudeau airport Saturday, government and airport officials showed off their new wing and welcome centre Tuesday, where over the next two-and-a half months several thousand refugees will become permanent residents of Canada. Former Conservative Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who lost the October 19 election to Trudeau, had declined to resettle more Syrian refugees, despite the haunting image of a drowned 3-year-old Syrian boy washed up on a Turkish beach. They said that whenever an ounce of difficulty comes up in everyday life someone has always come to their aid.

What unique health needs will Syrian refugees face, and how can Canadian physicians best provide health care to them and their families?

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made history on December 8 by addressing the Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly, the first sitting leader to do so.

“Working together as partners, I am confident that we can make meaningful and immediate progress on the issues that matter most to First Nations communities”, Mr Trudeau said.

Pearson Airport will be the first port of call for numerous 25,000 Syrian nationals that Canada has committed to resettling.

Aboriginal groups – citing Supreme Court decisions as well as treaties signed with British settlers in past centuries – say they have significant rights over their traditional lands that Ottawa and resource companies often ignore.

“We are bringing these people from the disgusting world where they live over to our wonderful country”, McCallum told reporters on Wednesday.

“We are deploying the necessary resources to welcome in the best possible conditions the Syrian refugees”, said Pierre-Paul Pharanda of Aeroports de Montreal.

William Swing, director general of the International Organization for Migration, said a lot of the success of the Canadian program is going to depend on what happens for refugees after they arrive in Canada.

He said it’s about striking a balance, and acknowledged that while Canadians want to welcome people who are coming from “the scourge of civil war”, we don’t want to put them in a “privileged position”. “So it’s important to give them a chance and give them an opportunity and welcome them to a country that has space for them”.