The desire to help refugees from Syria shouldn't override their well-being once on Canadian soil or potential security concerns, according to a local MP.
Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies MP Bob Zimmer has added his voice to the chorus calling for a more measured approach to the new federal government's plan to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees by the year's end.
In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister John McCallum, Zimmer asks that they reconsider their current plan.
"Given the most recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut, many constituents have reached out to me to express their concern with bring such a large number of refugees into the country in such a short amount of time," the letter states.
"We are concerned that with such a tight timeline, proper and thorough security and health checks will not take place."
There's a spectrum of opinions on the issue, Zimmer said in an interview, ranging from those who want the borders closed to those who want to see the government meet its commitment.
"I think I'm somewhere in the middle, I think, with most Canadians. We know we want to help these folks that are affected by ISIS in Syria and the trauma they're experiencing over there," said Zimmer. "We want to help, that's the Canadian way."
An online petition started by a Fort St. John resident at the beginning of the week already has more than 1,200 names in support of pushing Zimmer and Peace River North MLA Pat Pimm for a referendum on whether refugees should be allowed to settle in northeast B.C.
Comments left by signatories range from people expressing concern over an already-stressed economy to security concerns to outright prejudice.
"I don't want them here, not all terrorist are Muslim but 99 per cent of terrorist are Muslim. Why should we have to risk it," wrote one Dawson Creek signatory.
What Zimmer's letter gets at is a drive to make sure that once Syrian people arrive, they have places to stay and aren't put out on the street, he said.
Also, he said the previous government wasn't hitting those big immigration numbers because "we were trying to be scrutinous," in making sure people affiliated with terrorism in general and the Islamic State specifically were not among those trying to enter Canada.
"That process takes time and that's why we say for the thousands that we did before, it took a lot of time," Zimmer said.
"(Processing) 25,000 in two months is almost an impossible task and we're just saying that needs to be re-looked at."
Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society (IMSS) executive director Baljit Sethi said her organization is still waiting for numbers and timelines on potential refugees to Prince George.
Any government-sponsored refugees settled in B.C. will first go through Immigrant Services Society of B.C., in the Lower Mainland, she said.
According to the Immigrant Services Society, 736 government-assisted refugees arrived in B.C. between January and September, with the majority settling in Burnaby and Surrey. In 2014, 941 government-assisted refugees came to B.C. - the most in a decade - with the majority of people originating from Iran and Iraq.
In their most recent Syrian refugee information bulletin issued for service providers, there is an expected 3,000 refugees coming to B.C., but they are still awaiting formal announcements from the government.
While she understands the concerns about screening, Sethi said Canada has a good history with refugees and that refugees are arriving all the time from all over the world.
"I think the community is wonderful on a humanitarian basis," said Sethi.
"Whenever there is a need they're always very kind."
Whether state or privately sponsored, IMSS will be helping any new arrivals to Prince George with the necessary social and settlement services as well as English-language training. The organization is also helping a group of residents looking to privately sponsor a refugee family.
On Tuesday night, PG Citizens for Syrian Refugees held their fourth planning meeting at the IMSS office with a goal of brainstorming ways to raise the necessary funds required to be approved for private sponsorship. The Facebook group for the page has more than 200 members, with close to 80 signing up in the past few days, said one of the group's founders Dorothy Friesen.
More than three dozen people were in attendance, including participation from area churches that already have sponsorship efforts underway.
"We will have to raise $30,000 to $40,000 no matter how many people are in the family that come," said Friesen.
"But there's other ways that I think we will be able to help."
At least five people have to come together to put their names down as taking responsibility for an assigned family for their first year in Canada through the method of private sponsorship the non-denominational group aims to use.
As an established non-profit organization, IMSS has volunteered to collect money raised by the group and issue tax receipts for charitable donations.
The meeting's attendees, a couple of whom were relatives of refugees or refugees to Canada themselves, provided a stark contrast to those who have signed on to the online petition - eager to help with offers of living space in their own homes or with online organization.
Asked about the criticism from some people about Syrian refugees posing potential security risks and other comments, Friesen said she was "appalled."
She pointed to her father's side of the family who emigrated from Scotland in 1830.
"And can you imagine, they let them in - they talked funny, you couldn't understand them, the men wore skirts, they were killing each other over in Scotland and yet they let them in to what is now Canada. In fact, they gave them land," Friesen said. "And people are worried about Syrians who are escaping from the horrors of being killed and tortured and everything else and they're worried about these people coming into Canada, it just blows me away."
