The Trudeau government slowed the processing of applications for privately sponsored Syrian refugees after it reached its own target of resettling 25,000 Syrians (a mix of government-assisted refugees and privately sponsored ones) by the end of February. Private sponsors form national groupA month after McCallum's pledge to boost staffing levels, private sponsors in Ontario are issuing a rallying cry to other Canadians who find themselves in a similar situation. "My department will make every effort to finalize the processing of the privately sponsored Syrian refugee applications that we received before March 31 by the end of this year or early in 2017," McCallum said. McCallum appeared before the Commons citizenship and immigration committee on Thursday, and answered questions from MPs about the government's initiative to resettle an Syrian refugees. Former Toronto mayor John Sewell says private sponsors in Ontario have been frustrated with the slow pace of Syrian refugee arrivals.

Source: CBC News May 12, 2016 03:30 UTC