Immigration lawyer Lee Cohen says 'this is not the time to dither' on refugees

Noted Halifax lawyerLee Cohen says in spite of the short time frame, the new federal government's goal of welcoming 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada before the end of the year is entirely possible.

Cohen, who has dedicated his practice to matters related to immigration, refugees and human rights since 1981, wasinSydney taking part in a law conference.

Thepromise made by the Liberal government is "ambitious," but "it is possible if the will is there," he told CBC Radio Cape Breton's Information Morning.

He noted Canada opened its doors to tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees between 1975 and 1985.And thefirst step to welcoming Syrian refugees has already been taken, he says identifying who they are.

"Alot of the familiesare already identified," he says. "And that's being done by people on the ground there now. And it's largely being done by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees operating on the ground there.

"So a lot of this work has been going on for many, many months.In fact, for a couple of years."

When asked if Canada needs more time to get ready for the influx, he said:"This is not the time to dither."

He argues that Syrian refugees won't be put off by less-than-ideal accommodationsin the short term in Canada.He says the conditions under which they're currently living are deplorableand they need help immediately.

He suggeststhey could be temporarily housed at military bases across the country until other arrangements can be made.

Regardless of whether the goal of 25,000 can be reached, Cohen says the time to get on with the job is now.

"If we don'thit the target, it's not a failure."