Quebec is planning to do more to help the plight of Syrian refugees, the government announced on Monday morning. But first it must get the federal government on board with its plans.
Minister of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusiveness Kathleen Weil, flanked by Christine St-Pierre, minister of international relations and la francophonie, unveiled a plan that calls for Quebec to welcome an additional 2,450 Syrian refugees for the remainder of 2015, on top of the original quota of 1,200.
Of those 2,450 new refugees, Quebec is asking that it be allowed to sponsor 650 (on top of the 400 originally planned), while the remaining 1,800 would be sponsored privately.
“There’s a number of measures we are proposing to streamline the process of collective private sponsorship,” said Weil. “That is where we can really act without the authorization of the federal government. We have already been mobilizing these (community) groups and we are getting a lot of interest. Many people want to help.”
The goal of welcoming an additional 2,450 additional Syrian refugees from now until the end of the year may be difficult to achieve given the red tape involved, but also the fact that only 651 Syrians have come to Quebec in the first eight months of the year.
“We want to accelerate the admissions in 2015,” Weil said, adding later that many of the people who would be allowed into Canada have already been identified, it’s just a matter of speeding up the process to bring them here.
The province has welcomed 60 per cent of the Syrian refugees admitted to Canada since 2014, Weil said, showing that Quebec is doing something right. Still, there are areas where things can be improved.
“We can simplify the procedures administratively, we can allow some of these groups to sponsor more people. That is what we are looking at. But that would produce its fruits, if you will, in 2016,” she said.
Mario Brisson, a Jesuit missionary who spoke at the news conference, welcomed the news.
“In strengthening the program, the population will certainly mobilize itself. The Syrian community that is here in Montreal is very organized and is ready to take advantage of this possibility,” Brisson said.
The minister also announced that the Quebec government is allocating $29 million to finance services for the newcomers, such as education, health, employment, French lessons and housing. Some of that money will also be used to help the groups that are trying to sponsor Syrians to come to Quebec.
Also, St-Pierre announced that the Quebec government is making $100,000 available for groups who are working to help Syrian refugees on the ground overseas and she urged Quebecers to give generously to charity organizations.
She also announced that a crisis team made up of members of a number of government departments is being set up so Quebec can stay on top of the crisis as it evolves.
During the news conference, Weil said Quebec would consider sending its own representatives to Beirut to help speed up the process, or sending a plane to pick up refugees who would be granted a certificate of selection.
But that idea was panned by an immigration consultant who was at the announcement and who volunteers at a local church that is helping refugees.
“Quebec can participate at the financial level, for sure,” said Joseph Zakhour. “They have their part to play. But to send a plane or personnel to Beirut, in my opinion, will not help a lot. I am against risking the lives of Quebecers in that mission.”
“There needs to be more pressure on the federal government,” he said, adding that the process of applying to come to Canada is extremely slow.
Zakhour says that what the Quebec government announced is a good start, but far from enough given the scope of the crisis.
Many of the measures that would help speed up the arrival of Syrian refugees to Quebec require cooperation from the federal government. Citizenship and Immigration Canada said it “welcomes the Government of Quebec’s interest” and “looks forward to discussing their proposal with them in the coming days.”
“Processing times for Syrian cases have dropped significantly. We are processing Syrian resettlement cases within a year, and continue to look at ways to streamline processing.”
On the federal election campaign trail, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair praised the Quebec government’s decision.
“I applaud today’s announcement by Premier (Philippe) Couillard and the Government of Quebec as it takes concrete steps to help Syrian refugees; agreeing to welcome an additional 3,650 refugees this year and to provide necessary support services for the new arrivals,” Mulcair said in a statement.
He also called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to support the humanitarian efforts made by provinces and cities across the country.
source: Montreal Gazette
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