Account Login/Registration

Access PentictonNow using your Facebook account, or by entering your information below.


Facebook


OR


Register

Privacy Policy

Gazan refugees to be sent $3K cheque to help them 'meet their basic needs' in Canada

Gazans given refuge in Canada will be sent a $3,000 cheque by the federal government so they can “meet their basic needs,” Ottawa has announced.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said today that refugees aged 18 and over will qualify for the cash. Those aged 17 and under will be eligible for a $1,500 cheque.

The cash is separate from other financial support available to Gazan refugees.

The department said it is processing 4,782 applications for its temporary resident pathway scheme, which allows Palestinians in Gaza that are related to a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to move to Canada.

In total, 1,014 people have been approved to come to Canada under the scheme and 616 have arrived.

<who> Photo credit: X/Marc Miller </who> Immigration Minister Marc Miller.

The scheme allows for 5,000 visas to be issued to Palestinians in Gaza, five times more than originally announced.

When those granted visas enter Canada, they are permitted to stay for up to three years.

In a previous announcement, IRCC revealed that the refugees will be given three months of temporary health coverage “to help address urgent medical needs upon arrival.”

They will also be entitled to language training and free permits for study or work.

It comes on the eve of a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war that began on Oct. 7, 2023 when Islamist terrorists broke into Israel and murdered more than a thousand people.

The ceasefire is set to come into force on Sunday, and will include the release of hostages taken by Hamas as well as prisoners serving sentences in Israeli jails.

Canada has pledged $215 million in aid to assist in the crisis in Palestine and Israel.

Ottawa has said it will “ensure” that no money goes to Hamas, the terrorist organization that has been in charge in Gaza for close to two decades.

Hamas claims more than 46,000 people have died during Israel’s retaliatory mission to uproot the terror group. The true figure remains unknown.

“Our commitment to supporting Palestinians fleeing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza does not stop once they’ve arrived in Canada,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller said in a statement accompanying today’s announcement.

“Settlement support and this financial assistance are critical to address the immediate challenges that come with moving to a new country under such circumstances. We’ll continue advocating for the safety of everyone in the region while making sure that those who are in Canada have what they need to be successful in their new communities.”

Miller has been under fire from some Palestinian and Muslim groups in Canada since Hamas started the war in 2023.

He and the Trudeau government have been accused of failing to act as promptly or as generously as they did when Ukraine was invaded by Russia in 2022.

But the vast majority of people living in Gaza cannot leave the territory since both of its land neighbours – Israel and Egypt – have sealed their borders.

Its sea and air space, meanwhile, are both controlled by Israel.



Send your comments, news tips, typos, letter to the editor, photos and videos to [email protected].




weather-icon
Fri
-5℃

weather-icon
Sat
-6℃

weather-icon
Sun
-7℃

weather-icon
Mon
-7℃

weather-icon
Tue
-4℃

weather-icon
Wed
-4℃


Top Stories

Follow Us

Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook
Follow Our Newsletter
Privacy Policy