Wednesday November 18, 2015

Paris attacks polarize Canadians on refugee resettlement plan

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to suspend his plan to accept 25,000 Syrian refugees by January 1st. Premier Wall believes Friday’s attacks in Paris are a reminder of “the death and destruction even a small number of malevolent individuals can inflict upon a peaceful country and its citizens.”

And he’s not the only one voicing such fears.

Jurisdictions across Europe and North America are rethinking their intake of Syrians amid reports that one of the Paris attackers may have been processed as a refugee from Syria.

In Europe, Poland’s plan to take in 4,500 refugees now appears in doubt and Germany’s open-door policy is facing a fresh wave of criticism.

In the United States, eight Republican governors have vowed to close their doors to Syrian refugees. But yesterday President Barack Obama stood by his plan to admit 10,000 refugees in 2016.

In Canada, online petitions demanding a halt to Prime Minister Trudeau’s plan are making the rounds. One such petition, in Quebec – a province whose cultural rifts are often compared to those in France – has gained nearly 59,000 signatures in a matter of days. A competing petition calling for support for the refugees quickly racked up nearly 25,000 signatures of its own.

Those working behind the scenes to try to bring thousands of Syrian refugees to Canada have not been swayed by the attacks in Paris.

Immigration Minister John McCallum issued a statement yesterday reiterating the government’s commitment to immediately resettle 25,000 refugees and that it will not compromise Canada’s security in order to do so. (Source: CBC News)

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