OTTAWA: Canada’s new prime minister on Thursday vowed to make good on campaign promises to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the beginning of next year and bring home fighter jets battling the self-styled Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

In his first interview since taking office on Wednesday, Justin Trudeau told the Radio-Canada network: “The goal is still to have 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada before January 1”.

Several government ministries have been mobilised to achieve this goal in such a short time, Trudeau said, adding the federal government would have to work closely with Canada’s provinces and municipalities.

The refugees must be given ways to support their families once they reach Canada so they can benefit their community and the country as a whole, just like the “waves of immigrants and refugees that did so earlier,” Trudeau said.

He also said his defence minister, Harjit Sajjan, was working to bring home Canadian warplanes from the fight against IS in Iraq and Syria.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2015

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