Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not saying whether the government intends to end the prioritization of Syrian cases at the country’s central refugee processing office in Winnipeg.
At a news conference in Toronto, the latest stop in Trudeau’s campaign to promote the recently unveiled federal budget, a reporter repeatedly asked the prime minister whether the government has decided to end the prioritization of Syrian refugees, and whether temporary processing offices in the Middle East will be shut down.
Trudeau would only say that Canada “will continue to draw in refugees in Syria, but at the same time, we are engaged in an overhaul of Canada’s immigration and refugee system.”
He added: “We need to make sure that we are capable once again of drawing in extraordinary people around the world who want to build a better life themselves their families and their communities right here in Canada.”
Trudeau said the government continues “to be engaged with the issue of Syrian refugees” and reiterated a recent announcement to bring over an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees before the end of 2016.