Canadian cities, provinces make their pitch to help Syrian refugees

The plight of Syrian refugees andcalls for the federal governmentto bring more of themto Canadahaveprompted other levels of governments across the countryto make pitches to help.

A number of provincial and municipal leaders have in recent days pledged to do what they can to get more refugees into the country.These pitches come amid criticism that Canada's acceptance, so far, of 2,500 Syrian refugees is much too low.

Immigrationis a federal issue.Provinces have lobbied the government formore sayover immigration and refugee issues, butcurrently onlyQuebec has control over its own immigration policies.

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Quebec Premier Philippe Couillardhassaid his province wasready to accept "hundreds, if not thousands" of new refugees fleeing war and terrorism.But Quebec Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil acknowledged that only eight government-assisted refugees had arrived in the province this year, although643 Syrian refugees have come to the province since the start of 2015 through private sponsorships, and 1,900 more are expected by the end of the year.

While the otherprovinces and municipalities may not have control over immigration and refugee policies, they can offer assistance and galvanize public support for private sponsorships andresettlement plans.

For example, in 1979, then Ottawa mayor Marion Dewar, mother of NDP candidate Paul Dewar,launched Project 4,000, an initiative to bring inrefugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and other South Asian countries, Dewarwas able to get citizens, church groups andprivate organizationsto raise the funds for sponsorship. And inco-ordination with the federal government, she helped bringnearly 4,000 refugees to thecapital.

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"I thought there was no reason whatsoever why we couldn't repeat that initiative," said Toronto Mayor John Tory on Friday.But an effort like that would still need to be co-ordinated with the federal government.

Tory said he hashad conversations with mayors across Canada to organize municipal action to help resettle Syrian refugees. He said he has addedSyrian resettlement to the agenda of an upcoming conference of Canadian mayors.

Ontario Health Minister EricHoskinssaid he wantedto see 5,000 Syrian refugees resettled in Canada by the end of the year, as his provincial Liberal governmentpledged to commit $300,000 toLifeline Syria, a locallyled effort to sponsor Syrian refugees.

'Open the door to Canada'

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall posted a statement on Facebook, sayingthe federal government has been toldthat theprovince "can and will support more refugees."

Nova Scotia Justice Minister DianaWhalensaid sheasked the federal government to "open the door to Canada" and send Syrian refugees to theprovince. Of the 300 refugees that have settled in the province since January2014,Whalensaid only 20 were from Syria and that they "can certainly do much more."

Her governmentannounced it will donate $50,000 to theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees tosupport the Syrian refugee relief effort.

Meanwhile, theManitoba government said it willincrease its contribution to local settlement services organizations by an additional $40,000 to help newcomers and their families.

Earlier this year, the Conservative governmentpledged to bring in10,000 more Syrian refugees over the next threeyears. In August,Conservative Leader Stephen Harperadded to that total, saying that if re-elected the government would take in an additional 10,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees over the next four years.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeauhassaid that Canada should resettle 25,000 refugees from Syria as soon as possible.Liberals saidit would require $100 million this fiscal year to pay for accelerating refugee intake on this scale.

The NDP said it would get 10,000 Syrian refugees "out of harm's way and to Canada by the end of the year."