War in Ukraine | 117 million for the immigration of Ukrainians to Canada

(Ottawa) The Government of Canada is allocating $117 million to expedite the processing of applications from Ukrainians who have fled their country at war. So said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a press conference in Warsaw, Poland on Thursday, where he met with President Andrzej Duda.

Mylene Crete
The Press

“We see all these heartbreaking stories of families, women, children fleeing for their lives, who leave behind a country at war and who need our help, our support. Our hearts are breaking,” Trudeau said at a joint press briefing.

The federal government had already announced last week that there would be two fast-track routes to allow Ukrainians to arrive in the country quickly. They will be able to apply for an emergency travel authorization that will allow them to stay in Canada for two years. These administrative changes are due to take effect by the end of next week.

Due to the required security screening and biometric analysis, the first Ukrainians are expected to arrive in Canada around the beginning of April, according to the office of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser.

A special sponsorship pathway for family reunification has also been created by the minister, but details are still unclear. They will be announced over the next few weeks.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has defended his government’s approach, which refuses to lift visas to allow Ukrainians to come to Canada more quickly and avoid administrative delays. The three opposition parties in the House of Commons are calling for the lifting of visas.

Mr. Fraser had mentioned security issues last week to justify these visas, saying he wanted to prevent people who “fought against the Ukrainian army” from taking the opportunity to come to Canada.

Via the Internet, for all

Mr. Trudeau also defended Thursday the choice of the government to offer these services online. According to testimonies collected by several media, Ukrainians come up against closed doors at the Canadian Embassy in Warsaw.

“We made the choice to encourage people to apply via the internet because they shouldn’t just go to the mission in Warsaw or Berlin for help,” he said. We want them to be able to apply from anywhere in Europe where they find themselves, having fled for their lives. »

He condemned the bombardment of a maternity hospital in Mariupoul which took place the day before and that of other buildings.

Trudeau arrived in Poland earlier Thursday, where the majority of the roughly 2 million Ukrainians who fled Russia’s war on their country have sought refuge.

In addition to President Andrzej Duda, the Prime Minister also met with his Polish counterpart, Mateusz Morawiecki, as well as the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

“We are meeting at a turning point, which will probably determine and define the future for years, even decades,” the Polish prime minister told Mr. Trudeau shortly after arriving in Warsaw.

“The war and the refugee crisis it has created, but especially what is happening in Ukraine, is something unimaginable in the third decade of the 21st century.^and century. »

Trudeau said the Government of Canada would triple the amount it will donate to the Canadian Red Cross to help Ukrainian refugees. He had announced that he would pay an amount equivalent to the donations collected up to a maximum of 10 million. This amount will therefore increase to 30 million.

Ottawa will also immediately disburse $50 million of the $100 million in humanitarian aid announced last week to “experienced organizations that have the capacity to help displaced populations,” such as the United Nations World Food Program and Save the Children. .

With The Canadian Press