Syrians to arrive in Canada on government flights Thursday

Fewer than 500 Syrian refugees arrived in Canada between November 4 and the end of last week, but Mr. McCallum said he still hopes the government can keep its promise to accept 10,000 – a lot of them privately sponsored – by the end of the year.

The new prime minister campaigned on the plan to resettle 25,000 people displaced by the four-year civil war in Syria, but the idea came under increasing political fire following the attacks in Paris. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has called for blocking Muslims from entering the USA and some Republican candidates and governors have called for keeping out Syrian refugees.

Trudeau said Wednesday the state dinner will be the first with a Canadian prime minister in almost 20 years.

“This is a great moment for Canada”.

“The goal of what we are doing is to invest and give support to the middle class”, Trudeau said at a press conference. “It truly is a non-partisan, national project”.

McCallum said about 800 refugees are being screened by security and health officers each day in Lebanon and Jordan.

The number of refugees who have indicated they are interested in speaking with Canadian immigration officials about coming to Canada has picked up significantly, jumping to 8,554 by the end of last week from 1,801 the week before.

“Resettling refugees demonstrates our commitment to Canadians and to the world that Canada understands that we can and must do more”, said Trudeau. In times of crisis in decades past, Canada resettled refugees quickly and in large numbers. Once the first two military flights arrive, private chartered flights will shuttle the vast majority of the remaining Syrians to Canada.

All refugees will also be checked for signs of illness when they arrive in Canada, per the Quarantine Act, and treatment will be available if anyone is ill upon arrival.

They fled to Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon – living in refugee camps, shantytowns and private apartments, trying to figure out their next steps, watching as what they thought would just be a temporary move away from their home country began to look more permanent.

The Liberals have promised to add economic stimulus by doubling infrastructure spending to $10 billion a year and on Wednesday the Commons passed a ways and means motion bringing in the government’s tax changes.