“The fact that we are ready to be very precise about what we could do and saying that we do need the active collaboration of the federal government even during an election campaign, I think this goes above partisan issues and it should be done while the parties are campaigning”.
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The world turned its consideration to the disaster final week after a was extensively publicized.
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has announced $10.5 million in funding to help settle refugees in the province and to support worldwide relief efforts.
Wynne said that because the provincial government cannot sponsor refugees, she can’t do anything concrete to speed up the process of bringing refugees to Ontario, but she encouraged the federal government to move more quickly.
That’s in addition to $503.5 million in humanitarian assistance funding Canada has already allocated for humanitarian efforts in Syria and neighbouring countries since the beginning of Syria’s civil war.
Wynne made those comments in Quebec City on Friday before a joint meeting between her cabinet and that of Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard.
“We’re not going to Quebec and Quebec’s not meeting with us so we can talk about the federal government”, Wynne said Wednesday in Toronto.
On Thursday, Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe said the NDP leader knows the Constitution won’t be reopened just to discuss the abolition of the Senate.
Wynne said the province hopes to resettle 10,000 refugees by the end of 2016, though she notes the provincial government doesn’t have the power to sponsor those refugees.
“Part of what we heard this morning was there is still a need for more support as more people come”, she said.
“The two are not mutually exclusive”, she said.
“I think we can all do something and save some lives”, says Richard Johnson.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has suggested Canada can and will do more to help Syrian refugees in the face of mounting public pressure on his Conservative government over the past week.
When Kurdi’s father stated the household had hoped to return to Canada, the Harper authorities was criticized for not doing sufficient to expedite the appliance and resettlement course of for refugees.
He said they haven’t been able to respond to all the phone calls from people interested in sponsoring families.
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Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau wants to immediately accept 25,000 refugees.
