Canadian Government Under Budget on Syrian Refugee Project

Canada’s federal government says it came significantly under budget with the amount of money it spent on bringing in Syrian refugees.

The well-publicised drive to welcome 25,000 Syrians by the end of February 2016 and the continued lower-scale effort since cost the taxpayer $385 million against a planned spend of $455 million.

The government put the $70 million saving down to lower costs for transport and overseas processing, an unused contingency fund and temporary accommodation on Canadian Armed Forces bases not being required.

“Over the next five years, the Government of Canada will continue to invest in the settlement of these Syrian refugees to ensure that they integrate into and contribute fully to the Canadian economy and their communities,” a statement said.

The spending was spread across 10 government departments, although Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada ($193.1 million) and Global Affairs Canada ($161.6 million) picked up the majority of the bill.

Breakdown: Government Spending on Syrian Refugees

Source: Government of Canada

The Canadian government admitted in October that the number of Syrian refugee children arriving in the last year came as a surprise.

Immigration Minister John McCallum says the large number of children ‘was not completely anticipated’, with schools especially struggling to cope with the influx of new students.

There were also issues with providing the right kind of housing for large families.

Planning issues still exist at federal and provincial level in terms of refugee numbers.

Officials in Manitoba, say they do not know exactly how many Syrians his province will be expected to take in the rest of 2016.

Teachers in New Brunswick were overwhelmed by the sudden influx of Syrian refugee students earlier this year leading to chaos in some classrooms, according to a report.

Schools were not prepared for new students who hadn’t been educated regularly for years, did not speak English and came from war-torn areas of the Middle East.

Syrian Refugees Arrived in Canada So Far

Source: Government of Canada

The result was a whirlwind of poor behaviour, bullying and problems surrounding gender roles as teachers were left to deal with a difficult adjustment phase often without the help of translators.

School staff said they had no idea how many students would be arriving meaning preparation was impossible and all teachers could do was react to the situation as it developed.

Extra funding to hire more staff eventually alleviated the problem.

Meanwhile, thousands of Syrian refugee families are stuck in limbo despite being matched with Canadian private sponsors ready to welcome them here.

In an article for the Toronto Star, two members of a private sponsorship group called on the government to devote resources to getting all those families matched up with sponsors into Canada on a timely basis.

Ian Urquhart and Ross McGregor say they can provide examples of families who were told back in February they would be moving in a few weeks, but are still languishing in camps or wherever they can find shelter.

“On the strength of that undertaking, they sold many of their belongings, paid to get out of their leased premises, and relocated to smaller, more expensive accommodation they could relinquish on very short notice,” Urquhart and McGregor wrote.

“Since then their security clearance process has dragged on and on, without explanation.”

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.

Recent News Articles:

• Immigrants Help Advanced Economies Grow, IMF Report Finds
• Healthcare Access Crucial For Syrian Refugees: Doctors

Read more news about Canada Immigration by clicking here.