Thank you, Minister, for being here, and thank you to the departmental staff.
Minister, in Waterloo Region we have welcomed more than 1,200 Syrian refugees since last year. Our region punches above its weight. We're only 1.6% of Canada's population, but we've taken in 4.6% of all Syrian refugees arriving in Canada, and they have settled in our region fairly well right now.
I'm advised by our region's immigration partnership that some of the factors that played a role in our region's initial resettlement success include the government's immediate assistance with permanent residency documents and social insurance numbers, enrolment in the interim federal health program at the port of arrival, as well as the elimination of interest-bearing loans to cover the costs of travel to Canada and of overseas medical assessments.
Our region has done a fantastic job of settling Syrian refugees. There have been many individuals and organizations holding fundraisers and welcoming all these Syrian refugees, but I keep getting questions in my constituency. Some constituents have approached me with concerns that our attention to the Syrian crisis is diverting resources and attention away from such important efforts as family reunification and settlement of other refugees from different countries.
I've explained to them that this is a big humanitarian crisis such as we have not seen in many years, but could you provide us with some reassurances?