Welcome to your home: Justin Trudeau greets Syrian refugees

Syrian refugees will have the chance to immerse themselves in Canadian culture for free, thanks to a new initiative announced on Friday. “You are home”, Trudeau said, according to the New York Times. 54 percent of Canadians said they were against the government resettling Syrian refugees, while 42 percent said they support the plan.

“We suffered a lot”, Jamkossian said. Some US governors said their states would not accept Syrian refugees.

Canada’s openness to this issue stands in contrast to the USA as they have been unenthusiastic about taking in refugees into their country. “And Mr. Trudeau was joined by his opposition critics in the welcoming party”.

Families were given teddy bears and winter clothing.

Shadr Mardelli struggled to put the day’s experience into words. The family fled Syria for Lebanon a year ago. “I am looking for safety, a handsome future and a new future”, Shadi Mardelli, one of the Syrians who arrived this morning, told CBC News.

Trudeau replied: “You are home”.

The first flight arrived in Toronto before midnight and another will land in Montreal on Saturday. The public was actually warned to stay away from the Toronto airport, as officials feared the overwhelming rush of kindhearted people who wanted to greet the refugees with open arms.

“We define a Canadian not by a skin color or a language or a faith or a foundation”, Trudeau said, “but by a common group of values, aspirations, hopes and fantasies that not only Canadians but individuals round the world share”. “Tonight matters, not just for Canada but for the world”. All of the Syrians who have come to Canada so far were privately sponsored, either by individuals or small groups.

Trudeau had already won the hearts of millions when he took office last month.

Canadians eager to show their support for the newcomers weren’t deterred by the fact that they couldn’t do so face to face.

The first Syrian refugee family to disembark at Toronto Pearson International Airport makes their way into the Canada Border Services Agency’s processing area on December 11, 2015.