The new Liberal cabinet will form a subcommittee to co-ordinate government efforts to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of the year, Canada’s minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship said Monday.
John McCallum said the government has created an ad hoc committee, comprising of nine cabinet ministers to facilitate the task. This ad hoc committee will be chaired by Health Minister Jane Philpott and vice-chaired by Heritage Minister Melanie Joly.
“We have a responsibility to significantly expand our refugee targets and give more victims of war a safe haven in Canada,” said McCallum. “There are many Canadians across the land who want to reach out to help us in this endeavor – from provincial governments to mayors of cities, to non-governmental organizations, to individual Canadians – as long as we do the job right, that is to say with speed but also due attention to important considerations of health and security.”
The announcement was short on details, with McCallum promising that first refugees will start arriving in “weeks to come.”
“As we speak, we are working on transport – air transport, possibly transport by sea,” McCallum told reporters in Ottawa. “We are working on a process for selecting these refugees, for getting exit permits for these refugees, we have to engage with leaders of the countries from which the refugees are now residing.”
McCallum said the Canadian military is expected to play a major role in lodging refugees on military bases as it was done during the Kosovo refugee crisis, as well as providing air lift.
“Every option is on the table, whatever works, whatever is cost-effective, whatever will get the refugees here safely and quickly,” McCallum said.
Canadian officials will be selecting refugees who have found temporary shelter in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, he said.
Restoring health funding for refugees
McCallum also announced the federal government will fully restore the Interim Federal Health Program that provides limited and temporary health benefits to refugees and refugee claimants.
The Trudeau government is also investing at least an additional $100 million this fiscal year to increase refugee processing as well as sponsorship and settlement services capacity in Canada. In addition, Ottawa provide an immediate, new $100 million contribution to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to support the critical relief activities in Syria and the surrounding countries.
Related links:
Massive Syrian refugee airlift would strain Canada’s diplomatic and military resources
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.