Government Figures and Permanent Residency

Welcome Refugees: A total of 4,420 Syrians arrived between Nov. 4, when the Liberal cabinet was sworn in, and Dec. 28, according to Hamilton Spectator. A further 4,985 refugees had been approved for permanent residency, awaiting transportation to Canada. As of Wednesday evening, the government figures show they were able to bring in less than half that number. The government has lumped those two totals together on their frequently updated "Welcome Refugees" website — 9,405 Syrians from refugee camps in Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon, arrived or arriving soon. That a far cry from the Liberals' campaign pledge to resettle 25,000 government-sponsored refugees "immediately." And it still quite a ways from the 10,000 privately and government-sponsored refugees Immigration Minister John McCallum hoped to get here after he admitted the campaign promise was unattainable. Many arrivals are privately sponsored, some are government-sponsored. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.