Federal Government

federal government: The NDP plan would involve appointing a Syrian refugee co-ordinator as soon as possible to organize government and departmental resources to facilitate entry and settlement of refugees, according to Hamilton Spectator. The Liberals, meanwhile, say a Liberal government would expand Canada intake to 25,000 refugees from Syria through immediate, direct sponsorship by the federal government. NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar says the NDP will reach out to the Conservative government to ask it to adopt an "accelerated plan" to bring more than 46,000 government-sponsored refugees to Canada by 2019, including 10,000 by the end of 2015. Liberal foreign affairs critic Marc Garneau also says a Liberal government would invest at least an additional $100 million this fiscal year to increase refugee processing, sponsorship and settlement services in Canada. Dewar said the NDP plan would also include increasing the number of immigration agencies on the ground, expediting private sponsorships with no cap, providing health care and issuing temporary residence permits for Syrians staying with family. "We have reached out to the government now because we don't need to wait until to start this work," Dewar told a news conference in Ottawa on Saturday. "We're simply saying, let work together to make a difference here. Immigration Minister Chris Alexander has said Canada will accept 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next three years in response to the UN refugee agency global appeal to resettle 100,000 refugees worldwide. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.