Canada to resettle 25000 Syrian refugees

Around 10,000 refugees will be brought to Canada by the end of the year, less than half of the 25,000 that was pledged by the prime minister.

“On balance, there’s a real sigh of relief that the deadline has been extended, and also a real chapeau to the government for being willing to do that”.

He said Canada faces a constant debate between those “who would have us retrench, close ranks, build walls” and those who recognize that the country’s strength lies in its multicultural, polyglot nature. The former Tory government’s criteria for Syrian refugees included “the most vulnerable” which encompassed Christians as well as “ethnic and sexual minorities”.

“Across the country, Canadians have been saying that we should do more to help Syrian refugees”.

But the government has now said it will sponsor gay men and those who identify as members of the LGBTI community, according CBC News.

“Yes, in the sense that most of the people who have conducted terrorist operations come from that category”.

More than 500 officials have been assigned to work on the massive resettlement program.

A simple text message from the United Nations asking if they’d be interested in the Liberal government’s resettlement program will start a process of multiple interviews, security screens and health scans.

“Canadians have said do this right and if it takes a little longer to do it, then take the time”, Immigration Minister John McCallum told a press conference.

“Right from day one, our plan was to be diligent”, Goodale said. Once those are complete, refugees will be flown to Toronto and Montreal, largely on chartered aircraft. “We can take care of the kids, the moms and the grandmothers; possibly make sure we get them settled before they are joined by the fathers”.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said housing and service providers in his city are “gearing up” for the influx.

Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said military barracks are being prepared only as a precaution if temporary accommodations are needed.

The government has pegged the cost of helping the refugees at $678 million over the next six years. It is encouraging Canadians to donate, volunteer or even sponsor refugees.

The opposition Conservative Party said it was pleased Trudeau “had abandoned a timeline that was not workable”.

Wilkinson said in practical terms “there’s not much difference between January 1st and March 1st”.

Conservative Immigration Critic Michelle Rempel said Tuesday the change in the government plan indicates Trudeau made his campaign promise on refugees without a proper plan in place.

Single men are still allowed to come to Canada as privately-sponsored refugees.

Canada on Tuesday said it will resettle only 10,000 Syrian refugees by the end of this year, as opposed to 25,000 it promised earlier.

Originally, 25,000 Syrians were to be relocated by December 31, 2015.

Since that date, about 100 Syrians have arrived in Canada.

About 4 million Syrian refugees have been displaced by war and terrorism in their native land since 2012.