Syrian refugees to be welcomed in Canada: 10,000 in all

Syrian refugees will be a growing presence in Canada over the next three years.  Immigration Minister, Chris Alexander, announced yesterday that Canada will welcome 10,000 Syrians over the next three years.  The move is in response to the United Nations plea to countries around the world, to help settle 100,000 Syrians living in desperate conditions having fled their war-torn home.

Raja Khoury, co-founder of the Canadian Arab Institute, said “It’s great news; we’ve been waiting a long time for this.”

In 2013 it was announced that Canada would accept 1300 Syrian refugees by the end of the 2014. We’re into a new year and that quota is still not quite filled.

“I think there are challenges in these kinds of undertakings and I assume the minister needed time to overcome the challenges and make sure the administrative mechanisms are in place so that this new commitment does not face the same kind of delays that the initial commitment of 1300 refugees that was made two years ago, faced.”

Raja Khoury say church groups and other organizations are willing and eager to do their part to help this next wave of Syrian refugees in terms of sponsorhips and resettlement assistance.  There are about 41,000 Syrian-Canadians, most of whom live in the large cities of Toronto and Montreal.

“We know we can do it.  We’ve done it with Iraq, we’ve relocated over 20,000 Iraqi refugees in the last 5 years, so it’s a matter of will and making it happen,” says Khoury.

There is some concern over the government’s decision to prioritize potential Syrian refugees based on their status as victims of rape, and those who are members of a religious minority.

Raja Khoury says the religious minority requirement is in contradiction with the UNHCR’s criterion, based on need, and he says unlike the situation of religions minorities in Iraq, the qualification does not apply in the same way in Syria.  “The predominant majority of refugees from Syria are Sunnis from the Sunni majority so it doesn’t make sense to prioritize religious minorities in the case of Syrian refugees.” Khoury explains.