Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Refugee Resettlement

RCMP Canada: Citizenship Department leaks to media probed by RCMPCanada considers prioritizing religious minorities in Syria refugee resettlement Former prime minister Stephen Harper had been under intense pressure — including from inside his own cabinet — to increase that total, but only agreed to accept a further 10,000 provided that religious and ethnic minorities were prioritized, according to CBC. The policy, unveiled last January, was contentious. Before last winter, the previous government had only committed to take in 1,300 Syrian refugees from the millions fleeing the civil war there and spilling into surrounding countries. The vast majority of the Syrian refugee population is Muslim. The refugees the Canadian government accepts for resettlement are chosen by the UN. They do not use ethnicity or religion as a basis for determining whether someone requires resettlement to a third country. The decision to hone in on "religious minorities" prompted allegations the government was biased against Muslims and was also violating United Nations principles governing refugee resettlement. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.