OTTAWA — Conservative leader Stephen Harper appears ready to shift gears on the Syrian refugee crisis, hinting for the first time Thursday that work is underway to expedite the process of refugee resettlement.
It’s been a week since a photo of three-year-old Alan Kurdi lying dead on a Turkish beach forced all three major party leaders to confront the reality of Canada’s response to the human cost of the wars in Iraq and Syria.
Harper had said earlier in the campaign the Conservatives, if elected, would take in more refugees over time, but after the photograph, Canadians demanded a more immediate response to help settle the 11,300 people the government has already pledged to take.