OTTAWA — The planned announcement Tuesday of how Canada will take in thousands of Syrians in the coming months will drive local, national and international efforts into high gear.
The unveiling of the plan is the culmination of weeks of nearly around-the-clock work by Canadian officials that began even before the October election.
During the campaign, the previous Conservative government had announced a ramping up of its own efforts on the resettlement front, increasing staff and streamlining regulatory requirements to get more people into the country faster.
The Liberal pledge to raise the number to 25,000 and to bring them in by the end of the year has taken those efforts to a new level and led to the creation of what could be as much as a $1.2 billion, six-year plan.
Sources tell The Canadian Press the plan was on the cusp of being revealed at least twice before, held back once for logistical reasons and a second time in the aftermath of the attacks in Paris which gave political pause to the issue.
Security was always a major factor and even before the Nov. 13 attacks in France, planners had been looking at ways to mitigate concerns, including a focus on women, children and those who might already have ties to Canada.
