Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship John McCallum says all options are on the table to get 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of the year. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
(VOVworld) - Canada will discuss with Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey taking 25,000 Syrian refugees and resettling them in Canada by the year's end, Immigration Minister John McCallum said on Monday. He said Ottawa is looking to use commercial planes, passenger ships and military transport to move asylum seekers, and could house them at Canadian military bases or with Canadian families who sponsor them. He said work has already started to select refugees, obtain exit permits for them and in the coming days Ottawa will "engage with the leaders of the countries where these refugees are residing." McCallum added that a detailed plan is to be announced in the coming days or weeks.

He also announced a 75 million USD contribution to the UN refugee agency to support relief efforts in Syria and in neighboring countries.