A federally chartered flight of Ukrainian refugees was expected at Montreal-Trudeau airport on Sunday morning.
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The approximately 300 refugees were to be welcomed by representatives of the federal government, including Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.
The refugees will first be sent to a secure area, where they will be welcomed by members of Montreal’s Ukrainian community. They will then be divided into smaller groups and will receive assistance in completing all the necessary paperwork in order to clear customs and enter Canada.
The City of Montreal indicated last Wednesday that it had set up a process through its Newcomer Integration Office (BINAM) to manage housing offers from Montreal families and to help refugees integrate into the metropolis.
“We know that sometimes when a crisis occurs, they have outbursts of generosity. The form is relatively exhaustive, we think that people who are not serious will quickly become discouraged,” explained Jessica Lagacé Banville, section head at BINAM.
A first charter flight has already brought 328 refugees to Winnipeg last Monday, while a third is expected in Halifax on June 2.
The federal government regularly reiterates its readiness to welcome thousands of Ukrainian refugees displaced by the war, but has drawn criticism for bureaucratic delays in the immigration process, not to mention the complexity for refugees. to come to Canada on their own.
