Premier Brad Wall asks Trudeau to reconsider refugee plan

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is citing safety concerns for his wanting the federal government to suspend its plan to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees by year’s end.

The United ‎Nations High Commission for Refugees conducts first screening in refugee camps in Lebanon and the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service then screens for possible criminal or terrorist connections before they leave for Canada, she said.

The petition states, “It is unrealistic to do the proper refugee’s screening in such a short period of time. However, if even a small number of individuals who wish to do harm to our country are able to enter Canada as a result of a rushed refugee process, the results could be devastating”.

The premier says Friday’s attacks in Paris are a grim reminder of “the death and destruction even a small number of malevolent individuals can inflict upon a peaceful country and its citizens”.

First of all, Showler said there’s a big distinction between refugees resettling in Canada and the hundreds of thousands of displaced people streaming into Europe.

In light of the deadly Paris attacks in which at least one and possibly more of the attackers had apparently made their way into France in the ongoing wave of migrants many Canadians want to slow the process down to ensure adequate security checks before admitting people to Canada.

Quebec’s immigration minister also expressed reservations Monday about the timeline presented by the Liberal government.

“I’m going to be frank”, Weil told reporters.

Speaking at the G20 summit in Turkey on Monday, Trudeau acknowledged the fear that extremists might pose as legitimate refugees, but he reiterated that “security remains a primary concern”.

Meanwhile, taking a different tack, Francine Landry said the attacks should not weaken resolve to bring in refugees.

But painting millions of refugees with the same brush as one of Paris’ attackers doesn’t hold much weight according to Bell. But he said it should not come at the cost of Canadian safety.

Asked to comment on petitions against accepting the refugees, Quebec’s immigration minister said people “want to be reassured” that precautions were being taken to verify the identities of refugees accepted by Canada. “I think that’s the real key here: they need to share the plan”. “We can not have our decisions being driven by fear”.

“We have a cabinet committee that is (working) directly on these issues to do exactly what Canadians expect Canada to do, which is welcome in refugees who are fleeing a bad, awful conflict in Syria, but to do so in way that keeps Canadians and their communities safe”, said Trudeau.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged to welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year.

The exact number has not yet been decided, but it will be a “significant” percentage of the 25,000 nationwide, Eric Hoskins said. “But those concerns must not become an excuse to reject refugees”.

In his letter, Wall wrote that Saskatchewan would support “a redoubling of screening and security efforts erring on the side of caution, deliberativeness and discernment”.