Editor’s Note: The Canadian government announced Tuesday that single men will be permitted if they are identified as gay, bisexual or transgender or are travelling as part of a family.
TORONTO — Global News has confirmed the federal government plans to welcome women, children and families, but not single man, as they seek to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada.
The policy decision has raised questions among several groups.
“Why not these young lads that are trying to help Canada, to help themselves?” said Mahmoud Allouch, a volunteer with the Arab Community Centre of Toronto.
“Now they won’t have the opportunity.”
Allouch came to Canada from Syria to get his masters degree in civil engineering.
He finished school but put his career on hold to help Syrian refugees and said he understands the concerns of Canadians and the government.
“The government is under certain pressures after certain events,” said Allouch.
Although not speaking about it officially yet, the Liberals alluded to the policy last week.
“We are trying to bring the most vulnerable to Canada and we’re talking about families,” said Harjit Sajjan, Minister of Defence in Halifax on Friday.
Amnesty International agreed that women and children refugees are typically the most at risk, but don’t agree with the policy.
“A blanket policy that outright says no men, I think is a wrong policy,” said Gloria Nafziger, refugee coordinator with Amnesty International.
She said, for example, if a family can only afford to send one member out, often it would be the oldest son to establish roots.
She also pointed out that the young men left behind could lose all hope.
“They are the ones that the extremists are looking for,” she said.
However, some experts have said the policy could cut down on the risk of inadvertently letting potential terrorists slip into Canada along with legitimate refugees.
“You are mitigating the potential threat,” said Jean-Luc Marchessault, a former CSIS intelligence officer who specialized in security matters.
On the flip side, he said there are no guarantees.
“In my experience people adapt, so if this is known then who is to say young males won’t find a marriage of convenience? So how are they going to screen that out?”
Allouch added that welcoming 25,000 refugees to Canada is a great message to send to other countries, and he remains optimistic for the men who may be left out.
“Maybe Canada will open its doors some other way,” he said.
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