w  rd 2 the woss

 

The Canadian government has recently announced a delay in their plan to welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2015, the extension has been set to February 2016. This was a significant pledge in Trudeau’s political campaign, however they have justified their decision by stating that the delay will give provide more time for the government to screen refugees and provide resources for them to better integrate into Canadian society.

 

 

Millions of refugees are have fled Syria due to a long civil war that has made the country unbelievably dangerous. Over 12 million Syrians have fled the country and half of them are children, this is expected to be the largest migration in the 21st century. The three main reasons Syrians are fleeing is due to violence within their community, collapsed infrastructure that make living near impossible and due to persecution for their sexuality or religious beliefs. The Canadian government has stressed that the most vulnerable will be prioritized.

 

 

Originally, the plan was to bring in 25,000 government funded refugees, not including privately sponsored ones by December 31st, 2016. However the goal has been changed to bringing in 15 000 government sponsored refugees and 10 000 privately sponsored ones on top of that, to make a grand total of 25 000 refugees. Also, the new plan places higher priority on women, children, families and people who are at risk due to their sexuality.

 

 

The process of bringing over and integrating refugees into society has been split up into 5 phases: selecting who is eligible, screening and interviews, transportation to Canada, placement into a new community, and settling in. First, the government will perform interviews, medical exams and check their criminal record. Next, the refugees will be transported to Canada and integrated into previously selected communities which have been deemed to have the necessary support system to sustain the refugees. Finally, the government will continue to provide refugees with financial assistance, job finding resources and assistance with the language barrier until they are able to sustain themselves.  

 

 

In total, this process is estimated to cost over half a billion dollars. The most expensive phase of this plan is by far settling refugees into their new communities.

 

 

While welcoming refugees into Canada is obviously the morally correct choice, it is crucial to accept the financial responsibilities of it as well.