Refugee meeting falls flat

Government acting: PM

Both the NDP and the Liberal party leaders say they want to sit down with the prime minister to discuss Canada’s role in the Syrian refugee crisis. But not all the leaders are interested in being in the same room at the same time.

On Monday, New Democrat Leader Tom Mulcair told a crowd at Toronto’s Labour Day parade that only Stephen Harper has the power to address the matter.

“The person who can take these decisions is the prime minister,” he said. “My chief of staff has reached out to his to try and get a discussion rapidly.”

He appeared to show little interest in a meeting that included Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, who a day earlier also called for a sitdown with Harper.

“We must put partisanship aside and avoid becoming mired in the politics of this crisis,” Trudeau said in a letter to Harper, Mulcair and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May that the Liberals released late Sunday.

“That’s the type of thing I was calling for last week when I said we should be a little bit less partisan and start concentrating on helping people who are in desperate need,” said Mulcair.

Added senior campaign adviser Brad Lavigne: “Mr. Mulcair’s objective is to meet with Mr. Harper because he is the one who can act.”

Mulcair underlined that the NDP wants a commissioner to deal specifically with the issue of Syrians fleeing the chaos in their country. The party would also increase the number of immigration agencies on the ground, expedite private sponsorships with no cap, provide health care and issue temporary residence permits for Syrians staying with family.

But at a campaign event in nearby Mississauga, Harper rejected both parties’ overtures as “partisan games” at a time when the federal government is already taking action.

“The government is seized with this issue. I already made announcements before these headlines,” Harper said.