Canada on track to welcome 10000 Syrian refugees by year-end, McCallum says

In the meantime, Canada welcomed its first arrival of Syrian refugees yesterday, reports the BBC.

“We really would like to thank you for all this hospitality and the warm welcome and all the staff-we felt ourselves at home and we felt ourselves highly respected”, Jamkossian said. Born in Saigon, she fled Vietnam with her family, among the tens of thousands of so-called boat people, and settled in Canada, where she earned a degree in law and became a celebrated author. The Canadian airlifts are being carried out from Beirut and Amman, the Jordanian capital, the two cities where the Canadian government has set up refugee-processing centers for Syrian fleeing their civil war.

A few “logistical details” are being sorted out to make sure that “we can make a full announcement in the very near future”, Philpott said.

Canadian government officials had asked the general public not to come to the airport, but that did not stop some well-wishers, reported VOA News.

The Liberal government has pledged to take in 25,000 refugees by the end of February next year; a total of about 300 Syrians will have arrived there by the end of this week.

The feeling seemed to be mutual as many refugees, still tired after a 24-hour journey and weary after years of terror and grief, expressed their gratitude to Trudeau. Private sponsorships have already brought 687 Syrian refugees to Canada through this and other means, according to a government statement, and they are settling in communities where volunteers prioritize reuniting families.

Federal health representatives were also on hand at the airport, where there was an additional arrival screening, and “everyone was in good health”, she added.

The first flight arrived in Toronto before midnight and another will land in Montreal on Saturday.

“I am pleased to support this initiative that will allow newcomers to discover Canadian culture through enriching cultural and artistic experiences”, said Mélanie Joly, the Minister for Canadian Heritage in a press release.

During Canada’s election campaign in the fall, which Trudeau won handily, he insisted that asylum seekers would immediately be entitled to free health care without having to wait for it, reversing a policy of Canada’s former Conservative government.

He held up a large yellow sign that read “Welcome to Canada”, and said that even if the arriving refugees do not see it, the positive words will not go unnoticed.

“CN will join with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and other business leaders to direct funds to assist the needs of refugees”, says CN board Chairman Robert Pace.

About 800 refugees destined for Canada are being screened by security and health officers each day in Lebanon and Jordan.

On Friday, McCallum said that bringing in 10,000 Syrians by the end of December is still Ottawa’s “target”, but that will depend on a number of factors, including how many chartered flights will be available over the next three weeks.