Canada will accept up to 1,300 Syrian refugees by the end of next year, announced Immigration Minister Jason Kenney Wednesday. 200 people deemed to be at high risk will be admitted immediately. They will include members of religious minorities, gay men and women who have been sexually assaulted.
The remaining 1,100 will be brought in through sponsorship by private organizations such as community and faith groups. However it’s not clear that these groups have the capacity to do that. It appears they were not consulted before the announcement was made.
Anyone in Turkey is not eligible for Canada’s sponsorship program. That would exclude the estimated half million Syrians who have sought refuge there.
a limited number of extremely vulnerable, urgent cases. © Manu Brabo/AP
Extra staff will help
Canada will provide nearly $1 million to send up to five staff members to help resettle Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon. The government says it will also speed up the processing for family-class applications.
Aid organizations estimate the number of Syrians forced to flee their country will rise to two million this summer. It’s though over 6 million have evacuated their homes. The United Nations says third-country resettlement is critical for the refugees.
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