Quebec’s immigration minister, Jean Boulet, says the province is ready to welcome Ukrainian refugees.
“Quebec has a tremendous amount of empathy for the Ukrainian people,” Boulet said Monday.
“We want to let them know that Canada and Quebec are places where they are welcome and we will do everything that is within our power to make sure that they are successful in Quebec.”
However, he said he doesn’t have an estimate of how many people would come or when.
“We take into consideration the enormity of the crisis and we will make sure we have the capacity to welcome and integrate them as much as possible,” Boulet explained.
Boulet spoke about a potential influx of Ukrainian refugees at a news conference Monday announcing a $5 million investment towards Montreal-based community organizations that help integrate immigrants and refugees in the city.
Some of those organizations say they are preparing to receive Ukrainian refugees but they don’t expect there will be a large amount.
“Most refugees might go to other countries in Europe before coming to Canada,” said Jean-François Veilleux, a spokesperson for the Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI).
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 1.7 million Ukrainians have fled the country so far.
Most of them have gone to Poland (1,027,603) and other European countries (183,688).
The minister said Ukrainians who come to Quebec will have access to an open work permit.
They will also have access to all public services, including health care.
“This is new, we take it as a precedent,” said Veilleux. “Moving forward, this will be good for other refugees from other countries.”
Boulet believes most of the Ukrainian refugees will remain in Quebec only on a temporary basis.
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