Canada to turn away single male Syrian refugees

Ottawa (AFP) - Canada will accept only whole families, lone women or children in its mass resettlement of Syrian refugees while unaccompanied men -- considered a security risk -- will be turned away, it emerged Monday.


Canada's new 'lifeboat' refugee policy: Women, children, and families only Christian Science Monitor
Canada provinces balk at Trudeau's Syrian refugee goal Reuters
Since the Paris attacks launched by Syria-linked jihadists, a plan by new leader Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to fast-track the intake of 25,000 refugees by year's end has faced growing criticism in Canada.

Details of the plan will be announced Tuesday but Canada's ambassador to Jordan confirmed that refugees from camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey will be flown to Canada from Jordan starting December 1.

Speaking in Jordan on Monday, the ambassador Bruno Saccomani said the operation would cost an estimated Can$1.2 billion, the official Petra news agency reported.

According to Canadian public broadcaster CBC, the resettlement plan will not extend to unaccompanied men.

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard seemed to corroborate that report ahead of a meeting with Trudeau and Canada's provincial leaders where the refugee plan was high on the agenda.

"All these refugees are vulnerable but some are more vulnerable than others, for example, women, families and also members of religious minorities who are oppressed," he said, although he rejected the notion of "exclusion" of single men.

- 'It's a compromise' -

Faisal Alazem of the Syrian Canadian Council, a non-profit group in talks with the government to sponsor refugees, told Radio-Canada of the plans: "It's a compromise."

"This is not the ideal scenario to protect vulnerable people -- women and children and men too. But I think what happened in Paris has really changed the dynamic and public opinion," he said.

View galleryChildren sit in a classroom at the UN-run Zaatari camp …
Children sit in a classroom at the UN-run Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees, north east of the Jordan …
Trudeau broadly outlined his intention to take in the Syrian refugees during the campaign that swept his Liberals into office last month, and has mobilized several government ministries to get the job done since being sworn in three weeks ago.

[link to news.yahoo.com]