Elaborating on Canadaâs revised plan to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees, Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott says when they arrive, they will do so as permanent residents.
Speaking on CTVâs Canada AM on Wednesday, Philpott said full health and security checks for Syrian refugees who are to be resettled in Canada will take place overseas.
âThis is meeting all of the requirements so that when the refugees arrive in Canada they will arrive as permanent residents and as protected persons,â Philpott said.
That is in contrast to some European countries, such as Germany, which will only offer temporary residency to Syrian refugees.
On Tuesday, the federal government unveiled a revised plan to bring in a total of 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February, extending their original deadline by two months.
Philpott said the government âwould not be where we are todayâ if they had not set an âambitious targetâ to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada by yearâs end.
The newly elected Liberal government has been working over the last few weeks to figure out how to meet that target in a âway that is responsible and will be successful,â said Philpott, who is the chair of the cabinet subcommittee overseeing the refugee plan.
âWe will have 25,000 refugees identified by the end of the year, which is a feat unto itself,â Philpott said, adding the government is âdelightedâ that it will be able to carry out the plan as âquickly as possible.â
Syrian refugees will begin arriving in 36 communities across the country beginning in early December. An initial 10,000 will be resettled in Canada by yearâs end, with another 15,000 slated to arrive throughout January and February.
Philpott the initial 10,000 will be a âmixâ of private and government-sponsored refugees. However, she added the government is committed to bring in a total of 25,000 âgovernment-assisted refugeesâ to the country.
Health and security checks
Philpott said all refugees will be processed overseas, including undergoing an international medical examination that is required for all immigrants and refugees coming to Canada.
Philpott said it enables the government to âidentify the health concerns that people have.â
Upon arrival in Canada, Philpott said, there will be further screening âto be sure there are not infectious diseasesâ that require care.
They will also undergo a full biometric assessment and the âmultiple levels of security screening that are necessary to be able to offer these refugees permanent residence status and thatâs the status that they have while here in Canada.â
After unveiling the plan on Tuesday, , vulnerable women and members of the LGBT community among the 25,000 who are government sponsored. However, single men who are privately sponsored will not face restrictions.
The Liberals also said that an additional 10,000 refugees are expected to be resettled later in 2016.
Economic, social benefits
Speaking at a news conference in London after meeting the Queen on Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said welcoming refugees to Canada will produce economic and cultural benefits for the country. He said previous influxes of refugees to Canada have only served to strengthen the country, and make it more diverse.
Earlier in the day, Trudeau said in a speech at Canada House that the countryâs success in the past is owed in part to its diversity.
âOur commitment to diversity and inclusion isnât about Canadians being nice and polite, although of course we are,â Trudeau said. âIn fact, this commitment is a powerful and ambitious approach to making Canada, and the world, a better, and safer, place.â
With files from The Canadian Press