Gay Syrian refugees will be accepted into Canada

The planned announcement Tuesday of how Canada will take in thousands of Syrian refugees will drive ongoing local, national and global efforts into high gear, a program that will extend far beyond the Liberals’ self-imposed end-of-year deadline.

Since the Paris attacks launched by Syria-linked jihadists, a plan by new leader Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to fast-track the intake of 25,000 refugees by year’s end has faced growing criticism in Canada.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship officials revealed the shortfall on Tuesday, as they presented the government’s plan for bringing the Syrian refugees to Canada.

He added Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps is “very keen to receive refugees, not just for Victoria but for other places on Vancouver Island”.

On Syrian refugees, Yukon’s Darrell Pasloski says they had concerns about support systems, “to ensure the stability [that’s] needed for these refugees… for them to be successful”.

His decision was followed by more than half the country’s governors, including one Democrat, saying they wouldn’t accept Syrian refugees and 37 House Democrats helping pass the Republican-sponsored bill calling for tighter screening.

All refugees will be processed overseas and undergo biometric data collection, detailed interviews and rigorous screening checks against multiple security databases, said Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.

Refusing refugees at all could be seen as giving them a death sentence – but that is definitely the case for gay Syrians. Instead, 10,000 of the refugees will be sponsored by private citizens and groups.

The program cost is estimated at $678-million over six years, but doesn’t account for additional funding possibly needed for provinces and territories. “People who are settling are going to be contributing to our economy”.

While the government will “prioritize” families, women at risk, LGBTQ minorities, and those who are accompanying elderly parents, it will not be disqualifying any would-be refugee on the basis of gender.

The United Nations refugee agency estimates that more than four million Syrians have fled the civil war that has ravaged their country and killed more than 250,000 people. Goodspeed says that makes sense if they’re trying to get large numbers of refugees in, but it could mean single unaccompanied men may have to wait.

Tannuva Akbar, a Toronto-based counterterrorism researcher, said the government can cast a wider net after the initial goal of resettling 25,000 is achieved.