OTTAWA — The push is on yet again to have Canada resettle refugees from the civil war in Syria, even though the Harper government is struggling to live up to the resettlement promises it has already made.
Amnesty International will unveil a report today in Ottawa outlining the pressing need for countries around the globe to take in people who've been left homeless by the conflict.
But Canada faces an uphill battle to live up to a commitment made by the government to resettle 1,300 Syrian refugees by the end of this year.
Immigration Minister Chris Alexander's office released a document this week showing that, as of Nov. 13, fewer than 500 Syrians have landed in Canada as refugees.
Fewer than 300 of them were sponsored by the government, a figure New Democrat Paul Dewar calls appalling.
Here are some of the other happenings expected today on and around Parliament Hill:
— Statistics Canada unveils how many jobs were created or lost in November as it releases the latest labour force survey;
— Ebola survivor Dr. Kent Brantly will talk up the value of a three-tiered treatment strategy to defeat Ebola in West Africa. Brantly was diagnosed with Ebola while treating patients in Liberia and was successfully treated with an experimental drug;
— Soccer fans will want to hear what FIFA and Canada's national organizing committee have to say when they give an update on preparations being made for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup;
— Fresh from a meeting with Alberta Premier Jim Prentice, New Jersey governor and prospective Republican White House contender Chris Christie will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial. The tough-talking governor is in Ottawa as he continues his visit to Canada, where he's been outlining his foreign policy ideas.
