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Contact: Mercedes Deutscher, News Editor
M41 news@theotherpress.ca

(Y New Westminster installs new connection

(¥Y Not enough water to last a lifetime?

(YW Saanich-Gulf Islands boasts highest voter turnout in BC

And more!

True North strong and free for refugees?

» The plan to accept 2,500 Syrian refugees into the Lower Mainland by January

Aaron Guillen
Staff Reoorter

[? the aftermath of the attacks
in Paris, millions of Syrian
refugees remain in the process of
finding a better life outside their
home country. While Germany
has over 57,000 accepted
applicants and is on track to
reach 100,000, Canada has made
a pledge to host 25,000 across
our nation.

Surprisingly, according to
an Angus Reid Institute poll,
only 42 per cent of Canadians
moderately or strongly support
the plans to go through with
providing support for the Syrians
in need.

While travelling to the Asia-
Pacific Economic Co-operation
(APEC) summit in Manila, PM
Justin Trudeau said to National
Post: “We’ve known for a long
time, and we continue to be very

: much committed to keeping

: Canadians safe while we do the
: right thing to engage responsibly :
: on this humanitarian crisis.”

While he is attending

: worldwide meetings, there seems :
: to be a disagreement back on

: Canadian soil. Across Canada,
: municipalities and regions

: have been pushing back in a

: plea to not rush plans. Notably,
: Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall :
: made a counter argument to the :
: Globe and Mail: “Surely, we do

: not want to be date-driven or

: numbers-driven in an endeavour
: that may affect the safety of our
: citizens and the security of our

: country.”

His isn’t alone with his

: concerns, as Premier Christy

: Clark voiced hers to Global

: News, suggesting that “settling
: outside of the Lower Mainland
: could mean a warmer welcome
: for Syrian refugees.” Ironically,

: the BC population outside the
: Lower Mainland has responded

not in accordance with the same

> viewpoint.

“It’s northeastern BC
that concerns me right now,”

: said petition organizer Hailie

: Hambrook to Global. “We're all
: ina struggle right now. I think
: they need to go to places where
: the unemployment is much

lower.”
Eyob Naizghi, the Executive

: Director of MOSAIC BC,

: a multilingual non-profit

: organization dedicated to

: supporting and empowering
: immigrant and refugee

? communities across Canada,
: chimed in, saying that he agrees
: that the best infrastructure

: for assisting their settlement
: beginnings should be in the
: Lower Mainland.

According to CBC, Metro

: Vancouver stands by its promise

: to disperse refugees across

: neighbouring cities, projecting

: goo in Surrey, 600 in Coquitlam,
: 540-600 in Burnaby, 300 in

 

: Vancouver, and 120 in New
: Westminster by the end of
: January.

Photo via nationalpost.com

 

Calm in the face of panic

» Canada’s response to terror attacks worldwide

Mercedes Deutscher
News Editor
& news@theotherpress.ca

- the first week following the
attacks in Paris, the world’s
most developed countries have
had an array of reactions. France
placed itself under an extended
go-day state of emergency

and has launched airstrikes on
suspected ISIS headquarters

in Syria. Many other countries
have raised their terror alerts

to higher or maximum levels.

Yet Canada has neither
raised its terror warnings,
nor abandoned its plans to
remove itself from the airstrike
campaigns overseas.

In the aftermath of the
attacks, several of Canada’s
high-profile politicians have
spoken about the country’s
next plan of action, including
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,
Public Safety Minister
Ralph Goodale, and Defence
Minister Harjit Sajjan.

Goodale explained the
importance of keeping the
Canadian public safe. In wake
of the attacks, Canadian
authorities such as CSIS and
the RCMP have reported that

: there have been no Canadian
: links in the attacks.

Goodale also placed

: an emphasis on protecting

: Canadian values. “Now more

: than ever is a time for all of us
: to support our fellow citizens.
: We need to demonstrate to

: each other and to the world

: our values of diversity and

: inclusion,” Goodale tells CBC.

Defence Minister Harjit

Sajjan has spent the week
: going over various options of a
: Canadian military response.

“What we need to take a

: look at is the current situation

: on the ground ... and determine
: how does Canada contribute

: ina meaningful manner to the

: fight against ISIS,” Sajjin said to
: the Vancouver Sun. “And before
: | make any recommendations

: to the Prime Minister I want

: to make sure | have it right.”

Sajjin has suggested that a

: key to aiding the fight against

: ISIS may come from investing

: in international troops fighting
: on the ground, specifically

: those of the Iraqi Kurdistan.

Sajjin’s suggestion has been

well received by Trudeau.

“We made a clear

: commitment in the campaign
> to stop the bombing mission

 

by Canadian jets and replace it

: with a role for Canada that is

: still a serious military role, but

: leaned more towards training

: of local troops to be able to

: bring the fight directly to ISIS,”
: Trudeau explained to CBC.

: “That’s the commitment we

: made very clearly throughout

: the campaign and we have

: a mandate to do that.”

The response of the

Canadian government has

: received criticism from interim
: Conservative leader Rona

: Ambrose. Ambrose defended

: the air missions and Canadian

: fighter jets as both a military

: tactic and a symbol of solidarity.

“T think that we’ve

: been asked to play this role,

: and backing out of it now,

: particularly at this juncture
: when all the G2o leaders are
: talking about, if anything,

: expanding their role in the

: coalition against ISIS, would
: be the wrong message to

: send,” Ambrose told CBC.

Photo via nationalpost.com