Canada’s Syrian Refugee Program

Currently, there is a growing humanitarian crisis in regards to Syrian refugees fleeing their homes in search of safety in Europe and North America. It is estimated that millions of refugees from the Middle East will need to be resettled, but with growing fears of potential security risks, westerners are voicing their concern over the fast-tracking of refugee resettlement and are questioning whether any should be accepted at all. During the recent federal election, the Liberal Party pledged to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada by the end of 2015 and with the possibility of more in the near future. As of November 24, 2015, the Liberal government plans on welcoming 10,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of the year and the remaining 15,000 by the end of February 2016. The program is behind schedule and is estimated to cost Canadians $678 million over six years, but the main concern for many Canadians is that national security could possibly be jeopardized due to the possibility of jihadists among the 25,000 refugees destined for Canada.

            The Syrian refugee resettlement plan unveiled by the Liberal government is a step in the right direction, but there are some aspects that need to be looked over and reassessed. In the plan, 25,000 Syrian refugees will be resettled in Canada by early next year which seems to be a very short time frame to process and run thorough security checks on applicants. From a mathematical perspective, if 99.9% of refugees resettled in Canada are peaceful, there are still 25 possible radicalized persons among the group. As observed in Paris, it only takes 8 people to wreak havoc on a nation and slaughter upwards of 100 people. What would happen if 25 like-minded jihadists entered Canada and conducted a similar attack? Obviously, there are risks associated with anything, but it is imperative that the Canadian government thoroughly assess applicants to ensure to the best of their abilities, that each one of them poses a very minimal risk to Canadian security, even if resettlement is delayed. It would be too easy to call a terrorist attack on Canada “collateral damage” for upholding so called “Canadian values” of acceptance and humanitarian leadership. Let us hope that the government realizes the possible risks and acts accordingly, for the sake of Canadian security and way of life.