UNHCR applauds Canada’s response to the Syrian crisis

The refugee resettlement program is now estimated to cost $678 million, far more than the $250 million promised by the Liberal party in their election platform.

McCallum, in an interview with The Vancouver Sun, said his officials will brief him in coming days on the loans program and present him with options to change it.

“On behalf of High Commissioner Antonio Guterres, I would like to express our deepest gratitude to Canadians and their government for the funding announced yesterday by Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie”, said Furio De Angelis, UNHCR Representative in Canada.

“It will be a quick release”.

The government also announced it is honoring a commitment made by the previous Conservative government to match donations by Canadians to the global relief efforts. Canadians have until December 31 to make donations, which will be matched to a ceiling of $100 million, officials said.

“Those funds will be matched to where those needs are greatest”. They argued that people fleeing persecution already face major challenges finding homes, work and language training, so the last thing they need is to have to service an interest-bearing loan of up to $10,000.

The Canadian government is set to spend $450 million settling in the refugees, says the Wall Street Journal. “That’s what Canada would have to absorb”, said Dion. “We are proud to support this important effort that will provide help and hope to over 25,000 of the world’s most vulnerable citizens”.

All refugees will undergo thorough security screenings before they are brought to Canada, the government said, despite earlier rumors that some of the security and health checks would be done at Canadian military bases once the refugees had been airlifted into the country.

In an email Thursday, Citizenship and Immigration said Minister John McCallum put the number of permanent residence visas that have been processed for Syrian refugees at just over 900, but said that in some cases exit visas have not been obtained.

The money will go toward providing food, clothing, medicine, schooling and other necessities for refugees in Europe, Syria, Iraq and Egypt. “This funding to UNHCR will help to make these decisions a little less hard by helping to meet basic needs”.

Today’s announcement brings Canada’s assistance funding in response to the Syria crisis to a total of $969 million, Bibeau said.