Syrian refugees greeted by Justin Trudeau in Canada

They may have been surprised to learn that the man in the blue shirt was the Prime Minister of Canada, and the woman next to him, the Premier or Ontario, Kathleen Wynne.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a battery of politicians from across the political spectrum were on hand at the Toronto airport to greet the refugees.

“You are home. Welcome home”, Trudeau told the refugees, video from the scene showed. The programme aims to resettle some 25,000 Syrian refugees.

Canada’s move to welcome Syrian refugees to the country is in sharp contrast to most of the western nations who are reluctant to accept them in their country. They arrived late Thursday in Toronto.

Adrian Edwards, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said that the agency is working with Canadian authorities to identify vulnerable Syrians for resettlement in Canada.

“This is a wonderful night where we get to show not just a planeload of new Canadians what Canada is all about, but we get to show the world how to open our hearts and welcome people who are fleeing extraordinarily hard straits”, Trudeau said during a press conference, according to the New York Times. “You’re safe at home now”.

Approximately 800 refugees destined for Canada are being screened by security and health officers each day in Lebanon and Jordan.

“Canada’s programs are an expression of support to Syrian refugees; but, importantly for us, they are demonstrations too of solidarity to countries in the region that are hosting more than 4 million Syrian refugees”, Edwards said. On Friday, the House of Commons in Ottawa unanimously adopted a motion by the center-left New Democratic Party (NDP) to welcome Syrian refugees to Canada.

On Tuesday, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada had announced that the first two flights will use military aircraft, but chartered flights are expected to be used for subsequent flights in December. “The situation is so bad”, new arrival Carolina Sefilian said of the home she left behind.

Canadian groups pay the living expenses for a family’s first year at a cost of $28,000 per family.

Now compare that to Australia, where so far just one Syrian family has been resettled (brought here sooner only due to the mother being seven months pregnant), and a vague promise predicts the resettlement program will “pick up speed” around January or February.