Canadian government to accept gay Syrian refugees

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made his trip to London, Malta and Paris a family affair, brining along his wife and two of their three children. Former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who lost the October 19 election to Trudeau, had declined to resettle more Syrian refugees, despite the image of a drowned 3-year-old boy washed up on a Turkish beach.

The Canadian Liberal government announced on Nov 24, 2015, it will sponsor queer men as part of its pledge to take in 25,000 Syrian refugees – though it’s asking local groups for help.

The government has also shifted its end-of-year target to 10,000 Syrian refugees, with another 15,000 arriving by the end of February 2016.

The Canadian government is set to spend $450 million settling in the refugees, says the Wall Street Journal.

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. John McCallum, Canada’s immigration, refugees and citizenship minister, reportedly said that the extended time was required to provide ample time to communities to prepare for hosting the refugees. He spoke of a “wonderful humanist gesture of all Canadians”.

One important wrinkle in the plan is its emphasis on bringing over families, children and women. He wants above all families in the country get – unaccompanied men only if they need special protection as gay.

It’s a move that some critics believe reinforces stereotypes that single Syrian men are threats. The security is an issue we’ve dealt with.

Private sponsors have no restrictions on whom they can bring over.

Canada has an enviable record for settling refugees within its borders.

The ISIS-affiliated gunmen who killed 130 people in the French capital on November 13, Trudeau insisted, did not influence his decision to delay the resettlement process.

Trudeau meets this evening with Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat before the full Commonwealth heads-of-government summit begins Friday.

Repatriation used to be the preferred solution for refugees fleeing conflicts, but repatriation isn’t much use in the case of conflicts that drag on for years with no solution in sight.

The company says it hasn’t finalized what kind of discount will be provided, but said it could include temporarily waiving the rent or offering the discounted rate for a longer period of time.

Peter Goodspeed is with Lifeline Syria, a grassroots organization that helps sponsor refugees.

But despite the seemingly last-minute changes, all say the effort remains essential and just as urgent. “We are doing this as part of a coalition, to be able to alleviate some of the burden there”.

Canada is to reduce the number of Syrian refugees allowed into the country to 10,000 by the year’s end. He said this was in keeping with the country’s traditions. It was very emotional not seeing them and know that they are in danger’.

“I certainly won’t shy away from the necessary conversations to promote the kind of openness, responsibility and transparency that Canada has demonstrated”, he said.

“I was aware that there might be concerns when I sat down with President [Barack] Obama last week”.