Stephen Harper and Conservative Party

Ottawa: Ever since the picture of a dead boy on a beach in Turkey renewed attention on the crisis of people fleeing war-ravaged Syria, there have been calls for Ottawa to take in more refugees, according to The Chronicle Herald. Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper has said his government, if re-elected, would admit 10,000 more Syrian and Iraqi refugees over four years, but as European countries such as Germany bring in many multiples of that much sooner, provincial governments and community leaders are pleading with the feds for a new approach. People who work with and advocate on behalf of refugees say how many Nova Scotia could take depends on the willingness of the federal government and the capacity of groups and communities on the ground, the latter only determinable if there is a change in the former. Nova Scotia immigration minister, Lena Metlege Diab, wrote again to Ottawa last week saying the province is ready and willing to help, something Diab said she been telling her federal counterpart for the last two years. Since Jan. 1, 2014, Canada has received almost 34,000 refugees from across the globe, 2,649 of them from Syria. While she understands security questions, one of Harper justifications for taking a slower approach, she said much more can and must be done. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.