Sitting in an interview room in Amman, Jordan is the first step for a new life for Mohammad and his family.
The 35-year-old married father-of-four says his family fled Syria in 2013 to camps in Jordan.
They just received word their new home will be Canada.
“I swear, the emotion is incredible,” Mohammad, who only provided his first name, told the Associated Press at a UN compound in Jordan.
“I was surprised, honestly, I didn’t believe it at first.”
His family is likely to be part of the first wave of 10,000 refugees to be resettled in Canada by the end of the year.
“I’m extremely satisfied and confident that in the way this is being done,” said Bruno Saccomani, the Canadian Ambassador to Jordan. “The safety of Canadians is ensured at the maximum level.”
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Eight thousand of the refugees set to be resettled by Dec, 31 are privately sponsored. The remaining 2,000 are government sponsored.
A second wave of 15,000 government sponsored refugees will arrive in the new year; Canada could resettle as many as 50,000 by the end of 2016.
Transporting them all to Canada will be a big challenge.
Airlines will bid on transatlantic service contracts to bring refugees from Turkey and Jordan to processing centres in Toronto and Montreal.
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Smaller aircraft will also be needed for transportation within Canada.
Calgary-based air charter company Enerjet said it has the equipment to help domestically and will bid for the contracts.
“They’re looking to do it as inexpensively as possible,” said Enerjet’s Darcy Morgan.
“I think we all believe these are tax dollars, so we have to find ways of doing it as effectively as possible.”
One of the biggest challenges, however, will be finding housing for the new Canadians.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister John McCallum attended meetings Wednesday with refugee agencies and other levels of government.
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The group, including Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, is concerned the rental allowance refugees will be given may not be enough.
“In terms of the spaces, the spaces exist, it really is in terms of being able to afford those spaces,” said Nenshi.
Two private landlords have come forward to offer nearly 500 units, across Canada, for free or discounted rents to the refugees.
McCallum said communities need to continue reaching out to property owners for similar solutions because more housing funding is not currently being considered.
“I’m not making any such commitments today,” the minister said. “I’m not saying no, but we’ve already put close to $700 million on the table.”
The government still has some time to sort out the details — but not long. The first flights are expected to land in Canada next Thursday.
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