Turkey- First planeload of Syrian refugees leaves for Canada
Date
12/11/2015 9:21:04 AM
(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) The first planeload of Syrian refugees left Lebanon Thursday on a Canadian Forces Airbus bound for Toronto and a new life.
The group of 164 refugees is the first of 10000 the Canada hopes to bring in by the end of December with another 15000 arriving in 2016 from Turkey Lebanon and Jordan.
The plane will make a refueling stop in Germany and is scheduled to land at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport late Thursday evening.
The airport has opened a specially-redesigned terminal separate from the main terminals to handle the thousands of refugees according to Canadian Border Services Agency officials.
Canada had originally planned to allow 25000 into the country by year’s end but the logistics of processing and vetting refugees proved a slower process than originally thought Canadian officials said.
The target is now the end of February for the refugees who are sponsored by a mix of the Canadian government organizations and private individuals.
Immigration Minister John McCallum said Wednesday that a logjam with the Lebanese government in particular has now been cleared which should make it easier for visas to be allocated.
“Two days ago we were very worried about this issue but thankfully the government of Lebanon has responded very well and we now have exit visas certainly enough for the first two planes to come from that part of the world to Canada” said McCallum.
He also said recent elections in Turkey slowed the refugee processing there and it is unlikely any refugees now there will go to Canada by the end of 2015 iPolitics reported.
Another planeload of refugees is expected to leave Lebanon on Saturday for Montreal.
While this is the first Canadian-sponsored plane to carry refugees most of the group are privately-sponsored but small groups arrived in November the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
McCallum said other refugees from Lebanon and Jordan will in future depart from Amman Jordan.
The Canadian government is covering the cost of flights but many private groups will provide financial assistance for the refugees as they fan out to 36 communities across Canada. They will seek employment after arriving in their new homes.
Already the Canadian meat industry has said it wants to hire Syrian refugees.
“We believe full-time permanent jobs are the key to successful refugee settlement and integration into Canadian society” Jim Laws executive director of the Canadian Meat Council told iPolitics earlier this month. “Our industry in committed to working with local organizations to facilitate settlement of refugees” he added.
By Barry Ellsworth
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