Listen: Canada’s big cities seek clarity on Syrian refugees plan
FCM President Raymond Louie says cities are enthusiastic to help, but also keen for more details
ATHENS, GREECE – SEPTEMBER 24: Refugees are seen at the port after arriving in Athens, Greece on September 24, 2015. Refugees who begin a journey with a hope to have high living standards away from conflicts, continue using Greece’s Lesbos Island as a transit point on their way to Europe. After arriving in Lesbos Island, refugees get a ferryboat to go to Athens. (Ozge Elif Kizil/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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When the federal government set out its plan last week for bringing 10,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of this year, and another 15,000 by the end of February, it seemed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new government finally had this file in hand. But the aims set out by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister John McCallum raised more questions than they answered for those who must now grapple with the practical problems of this massive undertaking.
Canadian city governments are being asked to find apartments and provide services to thousands of new arrivals in the next three months. Raymond Louie, a veteran Vancouver city councillor, is the top spokesman for mayors as president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). Louie spoke with Maclean’s about the enthusiasm of FCM members across Canada for the Syrian refugee mission—but also their pressing need for more details, not to mention more money, from the federal government.