Canada considers prioritizing religious minorities in Syria refugee resettlement
Canada didn't offer new settlement commitments at international conference but arrivals 'going up quickly'
By Laura Lynch, CBC News
Posted: Dec 12, 2014 8:17 AM ET| Last Updated: Dec 12, 2014 10:05 PM ET
The federal government is seeking to resettle more Syrian refugees, but only from the countrys religious minorities, according to sources close to discussions around Canadas position on refugees from the war-torn nation.
Canada has been struggling to meet an earlier commitment from July 2013 to resettle 1,300 Syrians by the end of this year.
Statistics tabled in the House of Commons last week showed 457 refugees had arrived as of mid-November.
On Tuesday, the government updated that number to 703. Kevin Menard, a spokesman for the immigration minister, wrote CBC News on Friday saying the numbers are "going up fairly quickly."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-considers-prioritizing-religious-minorities-in-syria-refugee-resettlement-1.2870916