Canada is preparing to roll out an ambitious refugee plan this week, but it willonly be available for Syrian women, children and families, not men traveling alone, reported local media Monday.
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The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported Sunday night that Canada will exclude single men from its Syrian refugee program, due to ongoing security concerns.
“I think they really want to resettle 25,000 [refugees] but they want to do it in a way to decrease not only criticism from the opponents of their plan, but calm down the voices that are shouting security threats, Syrian refugees, danger, etc”.
The United Nations refugee agency estimates that more than four million Syrians have fled the civil war that has ravaged their country and killed more than 250,000 people. “We are determined to bring refugees here quickly, but we are also determined to do it right in terms of security and in terms of health”, McCallum said. Sources tell the CBC that they will initially be housed on military bases.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to bring in 25,000 refugees by the end of the year, however, his administration has come under increased pressure to ensure security during the screening process, especially after the terrorist attacks in France.
Faisal Alazem of the Syrian Canadian Council, a non-profit group in talks with the government to sponsor refugees described the plans as a “compromise”.
According to the national broadcaster, those accepted into Canada will be strictly limited to women, children, and families.
It expects newly arrived refugees to be “mobile” in about a month’s time, gradually dispersing throughout the country, CBC said.
The price tag on the Liberal program has been pegged at as much as $1.2 billion over the next six years, according to a document obtained last week by The Canadian Press.
A full announcement of Ottawa’s plans will be made Tuesday.
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Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said last week the process is on top of the efforts already in place by the UN.
