Trudeau welcomes refugee flight
First government aircraft carrying out PM’s pledge arrives in Toronto
TORONTO — The first large group of Syrian refugees coming to Canada by government aircraft arrived before midnight Thursday in Toronto.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was on hand to welcome them at a temporary processing centre at Pearson International Airport.
Trudeau was joined by the ministers of immigration, health and defence, as well as Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, local mayors and opposition immigration critics.
All of the refugees on board are being sponsored by private groups, many of whom had filed the paperwork months ago in order to bring in some of the estimated 4.3 million Syrians displaced by the ongoing civil war in that country.
More than 400 refugees have arrived on commercial flights since the Liberals took office on Nov. 4.
The prime minister thanked the staff and volunteers helping to process and welcome the 163 refugees ahead of the arrival of the military aircraft.
“How you will receive these people tonight will be something they will remember for the rest of their lives, but also I know something that you will remember for the rest of your lives,” Trudeau said.
“So I thank you deeply for being a part of this because this matters. Tonight matters, not just for Canada but for the world.”
This marks the first government aircraft carrying refugees as the government works to fulfil a pledge of bringing in 25,000 refugees by the end of February.
A second flight is set to arrive Saturday in Montreal.
“They step off the plane as refugees, but they walk out of this terminal as permanent residents of Canada with social insurance numbers, with health cards and with an opportunity to become full Canadians,” Trudeau said.
“This is something that we are able to do in this country because we define a Canadian not by a skin colour or a language or a religion or a background, but by a shared set of values, aspirations, hopes and dreams that not just Canadians but people around the world share.”
Canadians eager to show their support for the newcomers weren’t deterred by the fact they couldn’t do so face to face.
A handful of people gathered at the international arrivals gate at Pearson bearing signs and gifts.
Stefania Dunlop and Lubna Altaher dropped off dozens of bags brimming with snacks and plush toys for the children, as well as hats and mittens for the adults. They said they had made arrangements with airport security to have the items — and several hundred more bags — brought to the designated terminal. Canadians have a reputation for being welcoming and the response to the refugee crisis “is just a true testament to that,” Dunlop said.