If all is in order, next is a check mark on their file indicating they’ve passed United Nations muster to be among the 25,000 Syrians set to arrive in Canada by the end of February.
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But despite the seemingly last-minute changes, all say the effort remains essential and just as urgent.
Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said the air force is prepared to “airlift refugees to Canada every 48 hours if needed”, although current plans rely largely on privately chartered aircraft.
International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said the government will move quickly to disburse the funds that it has already announced, but was noncommittal about whether more might be pledged in the future.
The government also announced it is honoring a commitment made by the previous Conservative government to match donations by Canadians to the worldwide relief efforts.
Canadians wishing to support families as they transition to their new lives in Canada are encouraged to make a financial donation to the Syrian Refugee Arrival Appeal. “If an organization raises a dollar, it might not be that organization that needs another dollar to respond based on their position in the field and the services they deliver”, said a department official.
In the interview, Trudeau said he was “aware that there might be concerns” about Canada’s plan when he sat down with President Barack Obama last week.
“Our assistant deputy ministers this week said this is the most exciting, exhilarating thing they’ve worked on”, Tunis said.
We have talked about this amongst our friends and neighbours and the majority feel as we do, that bringing to Canada 25,000 Syrian refugees is wrong and has the distinct possibility of putting our country in an even greater danger than at present.
“In the wake of horrific events like the recent attacks in Paris, as we renew our resolve to work with the global community to help prevent such attacks, and as we reaffirm our steadfast participation in the coalition against ISIL, we must also recommit to building a world where diversity and difference are promoted and celebrated”, he said.
Asked about that discrepancy, McCallum said government-sponsored refugees would continue to arrive. “This funding to UNHCR will help to make these decisions a little less hard by helping to meet basic needs”.
The BBC adds gay men and women to the list of Syrians who will be granted refugee status more swiftly.
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With this announcement, the government says Canada has provided a total of almost $1 billion in aid funding in response to the crisis in Syria.
