Idea that Syrian refugees not interested in Canada is ‘crazy,’ immigration minister says

Giuseppe Valiante, The Canadian Press | December 4, 2015 | Last Updated: Dec 4 8:37 AM ET
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Immigration Minister John McCallum: “There are a huge number of people who want to come."

MONTREAL — The idea that there are many refugees who don’t want to come to Canada is “crazy,” said federal Immigration Minister John McCallum on Thursday, in response to reports that only a small percentage of Syrian refugees are interested in relocating to this country.

McCallum had just returned from visiting a refugee camp in Jordan, where he said there is “huge enthusiasm — a great hunger to come to Canada.”

He was responding to questions about comments his own immigration officials made on Wednesday, which were reported by several Canadian news organizations.

The officials reportedly said during an off-the-record briefing with reporters that fewer than five per cent of people the United Nations tried to contact wanted to come to Canada by the end of December.

McCallum suggested there might have been technical problems contacting people in camps, and that some refugees might want to stay out of hope the situation in Syria would improve and they could move back home.

“But there are a huge number of people who want to come,” he said. “Look at how many went to Germany — almost a million. The idea that they don’t want to come to Canada is crazy.”

McCallum was in Montreal Thursday for a meeting with Quebec Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil and about a dozen refugee, church and community groups working on the logistics of bringing refugees to the province.

Weil would not get into details of how the province will co-ordinate the settling of the more than 2,000 refugees who are expected to arrive by plane in Montreal by the end of the year.

Quebec has set aside $29 million until the end of 2016 to settle more than 7,000 refugees.

She said the money is enough to cover foreseeable costs, adding that the federal government has said it will help pay for any surprises.

“Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said the federal government would be there with respect to additional costs,” she said.

McCallum said that after meeting with provincial stakeholders, he is convinced “Quebec is ready,” adding that 13 of the 36 Canadian cities planning to welcome refugees are in Quebec.

He also called on individuals and companies to do what they can to help the country settle the 25,000 Syrians the Liberal government has committed to welcoming by the end of February.

Ottawa says the refugee program will cost $687 million.

McCallum said CN Rail has pledged a yet-undisclosed amount of money to help settle refugees.

“We hope CN is the first of many companies who will help,” he said.

The Canadian Press

The source:http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/idea-that-refugees-not-interested-in-canada-is-crazy-immigration-minister-says

Comment:

"Immigration: The boiling pot... Part 2

Immigration Minister McCallum is probably right. It is “crazy” to conclude that the Syrians do not want to come here.

But, as predicted, here we go with government, unnecessarily and quite ignorantly, whipping things up.

The last election was proof positive that the GTA does not want to engage in barbaric cultural profiling. The GTA is happy as long as the pie is shared. In the GTA, it’s all about making love and making money. There’s no percentage or pleasure in racism. Thus, the GTA is not racist. This why Trudeau scored big in the GTA with his commendable assertion that “a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian”.

Unfortunately, government’s refusal to deal with European worker immigration is leading to a cultural divide on the Syrian issue. The Anglo mind prefers not to link the two issues. A couple of million other GTA families see things differently. Put in intermarriage and all the other relationships and you have an even bigger chunk of the community. 

Canada’s inter bred Anglo political leadership elite sees the Syrians through a humanitarian and macro political-economic prism. Meanwhile, the GTA is home to at least a couple of million folks whose heritage includes dinner table conversations equating Muslims with wolves. Our Calabrese friends have some intriguing allegories on this subject.

The Italian/Calabrese, along with their families, friends and associates dominate the GTA. They serially elect, defeat and then re-elect politically tone deaf Anglos.  

Government’s failure to share the immigration pie is driving a lot of the GTA to interpret the Syrians’ arrival as follows:

• The Syrians have not paid any dues in Canada  but  are first class Canadians even before they get here at tax payer expense

• Families and tax paying employees from Europe are second class. They are deported in order to make room for the Syrians

The Liberals exploited the “shared cultural” arrogance delivered by Jason Kenney and Chris Alexander.

Here’s hoping that the Liberals deliver on “A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian”. Toronto is not anti-Muslim. Toronto is not racist. It’s just that everybody here wants a piece of the pie. It’s called: fair play. "

Richard Boraks, December 4 2015