Denis Coderre and Rgis Labeaume mayors differ on Syrian refugee file

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderreappealed for calm on the issue ofSyrian refugees, saying his city is prepared to accommodate victims of the wartorn country.

"The message we want to sendis this: Montreal is ready to take in Syrian refugees," Coderre told a news conference Monday afternoon.

"They are victimsof war aboveall. They are menand women who have lost everything, they areorphans,they too experienced atrocities of war andterrorism."

• Syrian refugees: Quebec says security won't be compromised
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• Sask. Premier Brad Wall asks feds to suspend Syrian refugee plan

Denis Coderre on the Canadian Syrian refugee plan

9 years ago

Duration 0:26

Montreal mayor underscores the importance of doing our part but also being prepared.Coderre'scomments were in stark contrast to the skepticism expressed earlier in the day byQuebec CityMayorRgisLabeaume in the aftermath of the Paris attacks.

In a Facebookpost,Labeaumesaidhe thinks federal authorities shouldavoid acting too hastily when it comes to accepting refugees.

"Let us open our hearts to human distress, but not to the detriment of security," he said.

Labeaume'sremarksechoed those ofSaskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, who called on the federal government to suspend its plan.

In a letter to Prime Minister JustinTrudeau, Wall said he was concerned bringing in refugees could "undermine the refugee screening process."

For his part, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillardwas dismissive ofLabeaume, saying Quebec and Canada should continue welcoming refugees from Syria and Iraq.

"I hope he didn't say that," Couillard said. "A lot of people are saying that we should be very cognizant of the security aspect of the issue, which we are."

'We should take our time'

Coderrehad some words of caution as well.

Hecalled onOttawa to take its time to work with major cities, which will be the ones taking in most refugees.

The new federal government has announced it intends to keep a pledge to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to the country by the end of this year.

"There's aquestion of transportation. These people lived through a terrible trauma, so they'll need psychological aid. There will be a culture shock coming here," Coderre said, also adding lodging, school for children, and jobs to the list of issues that need to be addressed.

"We should take our time, we don't need to take in 25,000at the same timeif we're not ready. We must show our openness but lets's wait for[Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship John McCallum]to providea plan."