More Syrians choosing Canada
About 14 per cent of thousands called say they want to come here
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the first group of Syrian refugees will arrive from Jordan and Turkey this week, as new government figures suggest more Syrians are warming to the idea of coming to Canada.
Trudeau announced the refugees’ imminent arrival during debate on his government’s throne speech in the House of Commons on Monday. Immigration officials have predicted about 9,000 Syrians will take chartered flights by Dec. 31, which would amount to more than 400 new arrivals a day.
Citizenship, Immigration and Refugees Canada published new statistics on Monday that appear to show increased interest among Syrian refugees in Canada.
The government had revealed last week that only 1,800 of the more than 28,000 Syrian refugees contacted by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) by telephone had said they were interested in coming here: about six per cent of those contacted.
The new statistics show that UNHCR had contacted 58,460 Syrians by telephone as of Dec. 3. That included reaching an astonishing 30,000 over the previous four-day period. Of those contacted, 8,554 — more than 14 per cent — said they wanted to come to Canada and were referred to Canadian immigration officials for interviews.
Thirty-seven refugees have arrived since last Wednesday, bringing the total to 308 since Nov. 4. Nearly 9,700 applications are being processed, which represents an increase of 600, while 1,341 Syrians have been approved to come to Canada but haven’t yet arrived. That’s an increase from 1,015 last week.
During his speech, Trudeau slammed the “hateful words and deeds” many immigrants and even native-born Canadians are subject to “simply because they look different, speak a different language, choose to wear different clothes, or practise a different faith.
“At the same time,” he added, “it is important to remember that Canadians are good and decent people, and against the warm hearts and welcoming spirit of Canadians, intolerance stands little chance.”
Interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose said during her own speech that there were still questions about the Liberals’ plan to bring in 25,000 Syrians by the end of February. But she said she was happy the government had decided to extend the deadline from Dec. 31.
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair described the resettling of Syrian refugees a “national project that we should all be proud of.” But he was critical of the government’s decision to exclude some prospective refugees, including most single men, “based on the politics of fear.”