Three years ago, Antwan Kasbo fled his war-torn hometown of Aleppo, Syria. His family went to Lebanon where they stayed for two and a half years, and arrived in Canada as refugees in June.
The 25-year-old is adjusting to a new university and a new country, but hasn’t forgotten about what he left behind.
“You just keep thinking about the persons that you know, the people that you love, that it's very dangerous,” he said.
In the wake of the Paris attacks that claimed the lives of at least 129 people, some have voiced their opposition to bringing refugees to Canada.
Faisal Alazem, a spokesperson for the Syrian Canadian council, says the vast majority of refugees are running from ISIS, the same group that has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks.
”The victims of terrorism are suddenly being criminalized and vilified so I have personally a lot of issue with that,” he said.
At the provincial Liberal Party’s annual general council meeting on Saturday, Premier Philippe Couillard said Quebec will welcome refugees in spite of any backlash to the plan.
“We must keep our arms open to refugees, we've always done this in Quebec, and always remember that the Syrian refugees that will come to Quebec are themselves the first victims of terror,” he said.
A senior official from the prime minister's office said the attacks also won’t impact the Trudeau government’s plan to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada before the end of the year. How many will settle in Quebec is still unclear.
“What we're checking right now with these cities is their capacity and also we're checking with the ministry and the ministry is checking with the ministry of education in terms of the schools. So all that work is happening now until we find out what exactly are the numbers and the timelines,” said Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil.
Kasbo says he's grateful to be in Montreal and is optimistic about his future.
“It’s a big challenge for everyone in the family but it's starting a new life...it's a good way to remove the bad images that we kept in Syria,” he said.
