Minister Chris Alexander and Syrian Refugees

Iraqi refugees: There have been 188 government-assisted refugees accepted towards the 10,000 goal, immigration department figures show, according to Toronto Star. Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced in January that Canada would take in an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees and 3,000 Iraqi refugees over the next three years. But the vast majority of those, 857, have been privately sponsored refugees dependent on the financial support of churches, families and community organizations to start their new life in Canada. That in addition to 1,300 Syrian refugees already settled under a pledge made in 2013. But on Thursday, the Canadian Council for Refugees appealed to the federal government to immediately accept a minimum of 10,000 Syrians, all of them government assisted. On the election trail last month, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said that a re-elected Conservative government would accept a further 10,000 refugees from Iraq and Syria over the next four years, on top of the previous commitments. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.