Canada may double refugee intake by end of 2016: McCallum
Minister of immigration and citizenship John McCallum says Canada hopes to settle 35,000 to 50,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016.
TheStar.com
Dec. 20, 2015
Nick Westoll
The Canadian government could double the intake of Syrian refugees to 50,000, according to Canada’s minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship.
John McCallum said the Canadian government hopes to resettle 35,000 to 50,000 refugees by the end of 2016.
The announcement follows a pledge by the Liberal government to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February.
McCallum, who also toured development projects and refugee facilities during his two-day stop in Jordan, greeted families preparing to board flights to Canada in the Jordanian capital of Amman on Sunday.
“Everyone in Canada is waiting to meet you,” McCallum told one family.
Air Transat Flight TS8500 left Amman for Pearson airport Sunday morning. The aircraft, an Airbus A330, arrived in Canada just after 7 p.m.
“We are very pleased to be the first Canadian airline company to engage in this major humanitarian effort, and to be assisting the Canadian government and international authorities in this way,” Jean-François Lemay, general manager of Air Transat, said in a statement Sunday.
Michel Lemay, vice-president of communications and corporate affairs for Transat A.T. Inc., told the Star that Air Transat will be flying more refugees to Canada on Monday.
“There are no real logistical challenges aside from the fact, of course, that a certain number of precautions have been taken in terms of safety and security,” Lemay said when asked about flying to and from Jordan. “This has been done in close collaboration with the Canadian government.”
Sunday’s flight was part of an operation being led by the International Organization for Migration with the assistance of Canadian authorities.
The first flight of privately sponsored Syrian refugees arrived in Toronto on Dec. 10.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and other officials welcomed 163 refugees.
Two days later, 161 refugees landed in Montreal.
Both trips were on Government of Canada aircraft.
Chartered flights landed at Pearson airport on Tuesday and Friday.
Most recent update on Syrian refugees by the numbers
- 1,186 refugees arrived in Canada since Nov. 4
- 18,088 refugee applications in the process
- 2,051 refugee applications approved, but waiting to travel to Canada
*Source: Government of Canada
