Syrian Refugees and Government Control

John McCallum: Suppliers for refugee welcome kits kept secret on security grounds Syrian refugees pose challenges for Canadian schools Health screening, for example, has increased from about 600 people a week to nearly 800 a day, according to CBC. But McCallum said some inhibiting factors are beyond the government control, including the pace of exit permits from Lebanon and the desire for some Syrian refugees to take extra time to sell assets or say goodbye to friends and relatives. "This is a very human element, and we in the Government of Canada do not control that human element," McCallum said. During a briefing on the resettlement plan in Ottawa Wednesday, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister John McCallum said officials have managed a "massive" increase in capacity for processing of Syrians in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon, including interviews and security and health screening. The tight timeframe would require an average of 600 arrivals a day until Dec. 31. To meet the target of 10,000 by year end, there will be an average of two flights a day, he said. Next flight arrives Friday McCallum said the next flight will arrive in Toronto on Friday from Beirut, carrying mostly government-assisted refugees. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.