The premier may not agree with the deadline, but Brad Wall is announcing a plan to welcome Syrian refugees to Saskatchewan.
Wall has voiced his concern about bringing 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of the year. Even so, he’s announcing the establishment of a Refugee Settlement Centre to co-ordinate the arrival of the refugees.
“No one should doubt our desire to help refugees,” Wall said in a statement.
“The Refugee Settlement Centre will bring together the appropriate government ministries to work with municipalities, settlement groups and other community-based organizations to ensure the best possible outcomes for these new Saskatchewan residents.”
The statement said Saskatchewan has received some further information about the refugee resettlement plan, but says the province still doesn’t know how many refugees will be sent to the province.
“We need to take our time and get this right. We need to get the safety and security outcomes right at the front of this process and get the resettlement outcomes right at the back end of this process. I’m not sure that’s possible by Dec. 31, but regardless of the timeline, we will make every effort to make it work.”
Along with the centre, Wall announced a new refugee settlement committee of cabinet which includes Immigration Minister Jeremy Harrison as chair, Government Relations Minister Jim Reiter, Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer, Education Minister Don Morgan, Health Minister Dustin Duncan and Corrections and Policing Minister Christine Tell.