Liberals push back deadline on Syrian refugees
The Liberal government took the wraps off its plan to make good on its promise to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees, an announcement that Immigration Minister John McCallum cheered as a “happy day.

TheStar.com
Nov. 24, 2015
Alex Boutilier

The Liberal government will miss its self-imposed deadline to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year, instead pledging to meet a reduced target by the end of February 2016.

The government will also count privately sponsored refugees against the total federal goal of 25,000, as well as any Syrian refugee who arrived since the Liberals took power in early November.

The Liberal government took the wraps off its plan to make good on its promise to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada, an announcement that Immigration Minister John McCallum cheered as a “happy day.

“This is a national project that will involve all Canadians,” he said Tuesday.

Still, he conceded that logistics of the complex undertaking would mean the Liberals will not meet their vow of bringing them all to Canada by Jan. 1.

Instead, while the goal remains to identify all 25,000 refugees by the end of the year, Canada will not be able to bring in the bulk of them until the first weeks of next year.

But he was confident that Canadians would be understanding of the need to “do it right.”

All refugees will arrive at either Toronto’s Pearson Airport or Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport, where they will be screened again by the Canada Border Services Agency before being resettled across Canada.

A total of 6,000 temporary spaces at military bases in Ontario and Quebec have been set aside just in case and as many as 500 federal personnel — including Canadian Armed Forces members — will be deployed abroad to assist with the processing efforts.

McCallum was adamant that the new plan is not breaking the Liberals’ campaign pledge to “expand Canada’s intake of refugees from Syria by 25,000 through immediate government sponsorship.”

“We will bring into this country 25,000 (government-assisted and privately sponsored) refugees and the target date is the end of February . . . through the rest of 2016, we will bring in more refugees (from both sources),” McCallum told reporters at a press conference in Ottawa.

He said the government would bring in by the end of 2016 enough government-assisted refugees as is required to meet its promised target of 25,000.

The bulk of that money — upwards of $377 million — will be spent on settlement and integration into Canadian communities.

The refugees are expected to be drawn from United Nations refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan, as well as refugees who have registered with the government in Turkey.

Canada will focus on refugees who have been deemed the most vulnerable — families, women at risk, and LGBTQI claimants. Officials say that does not preclude men — including gay men and single men accompanying their parents — from admission.

That process is already unfolding with refugees being asked if they are interested in moving to Canada, one official told reporters.

Both departmental officials and Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale repeatedly stressed the rigour of the security screening process. Goodale also suggested security concerns were not behind the government’s decision to extend the deadline.

“Right from Day 1, our plan was to be diligent. Period,” Goodale said.

“Last week . . . the president of the Canada Border Services Agency, the director of CSIS, and the commissioner of the RCMP, all indicated that they were satisfied with the ability of government agencies in Canada to accomplish this important humanitarian objective.”

Officials suggested the delay had more to do with the difficulty of obtaining exit visas from host countries, as well as ensuring Canadian communities are prepared to receive the influx of Syrians fleeing their countries brutal civil war.

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel (Calgary Nose Hill), her party’s immigration critic, noted the previous Conservative government pledged to resettle an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees.

“Any resettlement plan must allow for the full integration of refugees as welcome members of Canadian society,” Rempel told reporters at a press conference.

“Today’s announcement by the Liberals still leaves Canadians with many unanswered questions about caring for the refugees upon arrival, and specifically the real costs of the plan, impacts on provincial governments, and the involvement of our Canadian Armed Forces.”

The government hopes to transport the refugees by private charter planes, but said that the Royal Canadian Air Force will be made available for military air lifts every 48 hours if required.

A total of 6,000 temporary spaces at military bases in Ontario and Quebec have been set aside to house the refugees if required.

As many as 500 federal personnel – including Canadian Forces members – will be deployed abroad to assist with the processing efforts.