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Headline Politics
Federal Govt. Announces Initiatives To Welcome More Refugees to Canada
At a news conference on Parliament Hill, federal Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marco Mendicino announces three initiatives to welcome and support more refugees to Canada. The number of protected persons that Canada will admit this year will increase from 23,500 to 45,000, and the processing of permanent residency applications will also be expedited. The federal government will increase support for Canada’s private refugee sponsorship program by investing up to $3 million over two years to support nine organizations. The government will also strengthen its Economic Mobility Pathways Project (EMPP) that was launched in 2018 to help settle 500 refugees and find them employment in Canada. New measures include expediting the processing of permanent residency applications and waiving fees for them, and providing pre-departure medical services to assist with immigration medical exams. These three initiatives are being announced ahead of World Refugee Day, which falls every year on June 20. The minister is joined by Rema Jamous Imseis, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)'s representative in Canada. Also taking part in the news conference are Lisa M. Smith, CEO of a Nova Scotia long-term facility that participates in the EMPP, as well as Khodor Ramlawi and Mohammed Hakmi, two refugees who came to Canada through the EMPP. (June 18, 2021)