Trudeau says refugee plan had to change after Paris attack

Canadian officials said their decision to slow down the immigration process was not influenced by the Paris terror attack.

But McCallum said that had no effect on delaying the arrival of all the refugees by December 31.

CBC notes that the government has “so far been mum about both the kind of security screening it is doing and whether it will be limited to refugee camps overseas, or whether some of it will take place in Canada”.

Earlier this month, Air Canada offered to help ferry refugees to Canada, and Calgary-based charter airline Enerjet says it will make its fleet of aircraft available to the government to assist with refugee resettlement. Several European countries, including EU members Slovenia and Croatia and non-members Serbia and Macedonia, have declared they will only allow “war-zone refugees” from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria to transit through their countries on their way to central and northern Europe.

The government was to have sponsored the 25000 refugees but McCallum said the arrivals by the end of February would include private sponsors. The extra time gives them more opportunity to prepare.

The UN first chooses the cases, then passes them off to Canadian officials for final review and approval.

The other 200 will be privately-sponsored refugees, who may settle wherever in B.C. they are sponsored, though ISS of B.C. did not have those details yet.

He added: “When those 25,000 new Canadians begin to integrate into families… then numerous fears that come from not having personal connections and contacts with people will simply evaporate”.

What that all means for United Nations timelines is unclear; McDonnell said the original plan had been to have all files to the Canadians by December 20.

And there’s the matter of the coming winter, something the Canadian Red Cross is keenly aware of as well. “We are proud to support this joint effort that will help provide better futures to thousands of refugees fleeing their homes in search of a better life for themselves and their families”.

With the Red Cross active on the ground in Syria and in countries like Jordan, their signs will be a lone familiar sight for many Syrians as they arrive in Canada.

He said people who were previously supportive of the refugee plan “had a few more questions”.

The change in plan isn’t a problem, he said, given the organization’s expertise in quick response to humanitarian emergencies.