Federal government starts handing out new funding to settle refugees

Liberal MP John McCallum (Facebook photo)

OTTAWA—The federal government has begun allocating millions of dollars in funding for Syrian refugees.

Immigration Minister John McCallum says groups who have formal contracts with the government for settlement services will get a 25-per-cent increase in their funding this year.

That amounts to a $3.6-million boost specifically to ensure they can support refugees as they are arriving.

The Liberals have promised to bring 10,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by year’s end and a further 15,000 by the end off February.

Plane-loads of newcomers are expected to begin arriving in Toronto and Montreal in the coming days.

The Liberals say over the next four years, a total of $335 million will be used to support Syrian refugees both in Canada and abroad as the needs arise.

Of that, $94.5 million will be used to provide income support directly to Syrians.