Despite the new Liberal government’s original ambition to move 25,000 refugees by the end of 2015, the government is now saying only 10,000 will arrive this month, with the rest coming in the first few months of the new year.
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Swing says he’s feeling upbeat and optimistic about the program, which he called a humanitarian act that reflects a lot of political courage and leadership.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has invited all opposition leaders to join him in welcoming Syrian refugees who will be arriving on the first flight to Toronto Thursday night.
Around 300 Syrians are expected to be in Canada by Saturday as the long-awaited first flights under the Liberal plan to resettle thousands of refugees from the war-torn region finally touch down on Canadian soil.
Trudeau announced the first plane’s arrival on Wednesday. Between November 4 and December 7 416 Syrian refugees arrived in Canada.
Privately sponsored refugees will then be taken to the families awaiting them, while those sponsored by the government will be brought to temporary accommodations. This isn’t a new announcement, said McCallum, but “not all the doctors, the medical community across the country was necessarily aware”.
McCallum said the United Nation’s refugee agency, the UNHCR, is not working in Turkey, which makes identifying refugees who qualify to come to Canada more challenging.
But, that process could be slowed down anew following elections scheduled in that country for later this month.
While at least 65 per cent of Canadians want to welcome refugees, said McCallum, he’s sensitive to the issue around prioritizing social assistance like housing and mental health services, and applying for citizenship.
The most progress is being made out of the government’s operations in Jordan, where hundreds of people a day are now being screened by security and health officers.
“This is a pretty good clip and I think it is a good sign for us in terms of getting the job done”, said Mr. McCallum.
The preliminary budget for the program is as much as $698 million.
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That amounts to a $3.6-million boost specifically to ensure they can support refugees as they are arriving.
