CANADIAN soldiers will be working at a refugee camp as above. APS photo Sergei Grits.
Some 150 Canadian soldiers, including immigration and mental health officials, are in Poland today to help select and work with Ukrainian refugees bound for Canada.
The Canadian government have promised to accept an undetermined amount of Ukrainian refugees for resettlement in Canada.
Members of Toronto’s Ukrainian community are applauding the move to help some of the 2.5 million refugees who have fled to Poland to escape Russian bombings that have levelled huge sections Ukraine.
CANADIAN soldiers helping refugees at camps in Poland. CBC photo.
The soldiers, many who have roots in Ukraine, left Canada for Poland on April 15 and are expected to remain there for about three months. The troops are deployed to reception centres “to assist with the immediate care and processing of refugees.”
Personnel will be providing general aid, spiritual services, and basic medical care, with the help of Ukrainian-speaking military personnel.
There are some 100,000 Ukrainian children and 15,000 refugees enrolled in Polish schools due to the war.
Those accepted for Canada will be able to leave in weeks and can study and work here as security checks are conducted.
OUR TROOPS off to help those in need in Poland. Global News pic.
Defence Minister Anita Anand said some soldiers will help a Polish-led humanitarian task force that will include officials from allied countries “to synchronize efforts from more than 100 multinational humanitarian agencies to ensure that Ukrainians fleeing the war receive the best support possible.”
Military personnel will help IRCC “by acting as a liaison” with the Polish military, as Canada works to resettle thousands of Ukrainians to Canada.
“Canadians and our Canadian Armed Forces will continue to step up in the face of the unspeakable acts of violence,” Anand said.
Some politicians are calling on Canada to allow visa-free travel for those seeking refuge.
IRCC will speedily implement for the refugees a special family reunification sponsorship pathway for permanent residence and will work with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
And work permits will be issued to Ukrainian visitors, workers and students who are currently in Canada and cannot safely go home. The department will also waive the costs for all the paperwork involved.
The IRCC has increased operational readiness in Europe, including relocating staff and moving additional supplies and equipment, such as mobile biometric collection kits, in anticipation of an increased volume of requests.
Since January 1, 2022, over 6,100 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada.
Since the war began, Canada has sent millions in aid to Ukraine, including military equipment. As part of $8 billion in new national defence spending promised in the 2022 federal budget, the Canadian government has earmarked an additional $500 million to be used for military aid to Ukraine.