LIBERALS CHANGE PLAN FOR REFUGEES

Canada lowers target, aims to bring in 10,000 by year’s end

I HAVE ALWAYS SAID THAT WE NEED TO DO THESE THINGS RIGHT, AND I THINK CANADIANS AGREE WITH THAT.

While the first Syrian refugees will start arriving in Canada within days, the Liberal government conceded Tuesday it will need until the end of February — or two months longer than promised — to resettle 25,000 of them.

The admission came as the government unveiled its plan for Canada’s largest humanitarian mission in a generation. The plan, which will cost up to $678 million, involves screening thousands of Syrian refugees overseas during the coming weeks, then using chartered flights to ferry them to Montreal and Toronto.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had promised during the election campaign to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by Dec. 31 after pictures of three-year-old Alan Kurdi’s body on a Turkish beach made the crisis a major campaign issue.

Numerous refugee groups and experts had warned that the promise was unrealistic, while some provincial and municipal leaders called on the government to take its time because of security concerns. But Trudeau and his ministers stood by their promise — until Tuesday.

Immigration Minister John McCallum said at a news conference the government plans to resettle 10,000 Syrians by Dec. 31. The remainder will come before the end of February.

McCallum said the government decided to take two months longer than planned to make sure the Syrians receive a warm welcome, including proper accommodation. He said security concerns were not a factor.

“I have always said that we need to do these things right, and I think Canadians agree with that,” McCallum said. “Canadians said: ‘Yes, act quickly, but make sure you do things right.’ ... So that is what we are doing.”

The Liberal election platform had said the government would cover the resettlement costs of all 25,000 refugees. However, the ministers said the government would sponsor only 15,000, with private sponsors responsible for the rest. The 10,000 Syrians due to arrive this year will include 8,000 privately sponsored.

Asked about the promise, McCallum said the Liberal government would end up paying to resettle a total of 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016. “There are so many families across the country that want to take in privately sponsored refugees,” he said.

The refugees will arrive after being screened for health and security risks overseas. The majority will come from Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. About four million Syrians are in those three countries after fleeing civil war.

“Safety and security have been at the top of our priority list,” Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said. “Before anyone gets on a plane to come to Canada, the security screening will be fully completed overseas.”

The government will prioritize families, women at risk, and members of the LGBT community. Single men will be allowed to come to Canada only if they identify as LGBT or are accompanying their parents as part of a family unit. Those categories do not apply to privately sponsored refugees.

Privately sponsored refugees will go to their host communities upon arrival, while the government-sponsored refugees will head to 36 communities for integration.

Thirteen of the communities are in Quebec.

An Armed Forces official said the military has 6,000 spaces on military bases available to house refugees. However, the hope was that there would be enough spaces in communities to take them all in.

Officials expect the first group of refugees to arrive in early December. Officials said 102 Syrian refugees have arrived since Nov. 4, which is when they started the clock on the commitment.

Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel welcomed the government’s decision to push back its deadline for resettling 25,000 Syrian refugees, but accused Trudeau and the Liberals of not being straight with Canadians when it made the original commitment.

“It’s one thing to inspire Canadians,” she said. “It’s another thing to be accountable to them with accurate plans and accurate costing. And I think that’s what Canadians should be asking of their government right now.”

NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan took issue with the government’s decision to rely on private sponsors to meet its campaign promise, and underestimating how much the entire effort would cost. The Liberal platform had set aside $100 million to resettle 25,000 Syrians.

“The costs have now grown to more than three times what the Liberals earmarked in their platform and today’s figures don’t include compensation for extra costs being paid by the provinces,” Kwan said in a statement.